The Last One Left
by DemonUntilDeath
Summary: I have learned the horrible truth of life before the Great War. No record of these following deaths has ever been mentioned in any book of the Dead. And so, what you read now you must never forget. This is the beginning of the tale that tells the end.
1. Prologue

**Disclaimer**: I own nothing, just like the last author you read off of owned nothing, as will the next author you read off of. We should seriously start and I-Own-Nothing-And-It's-Never-Gonna-Change Club or something. That way we'd at least stop writing it over and over and over and…

**Notes**: As you read this short prologue, you will undoubtedly notice that it seems a strange beginning for a fic. Let me assure you, this is the prologue, and this is how it starts.

No further explanations to the story will be given, and the following, however shockingly you take it, is fully intended. . I hope it catches your attention and intrigues you.

Oh, and the dates are completely made up. I don't actually have any real idea of the age of the tentai, so pretend that, as of 2005, Kuwabara and Yusuke are 17 and Kurama is 18, even though the series was made in 96 (I think)

Ah, yes, I almost forgot. Please read this next line carefully. This story is **YAOI **and holds male/male relationships. IF you do not like, please do not read and flame me.

.-.-.-

**_The Last One Left_**

**Prologue**

.-.-.-

September 28, 2610

_How strange it is, this day, the 28, to be the day of reckoning. I finally found the final key to our past, our history. For six hundred years, the ancient war has raged on. The power struggle over our three dear worlds has left none untouched, and nowhere unharmed. _

_And yet, we fight for a battle that we do not know the cause, nor do we know the reason. Never before has the history of the worlds before the Great War been divulged. All books predating the demons reign over humans were destroyed long ago, and all truths have faded into legend. _

_To be honest, I stumbled upon the palace by accident. As I wandered the Kerabi Desert, following the nearby readings of a slave caravan, the truth hit me in the face. Quite literally, actually. The shifting sands of the Kerabi desert lived to their name, and as they changed, sweeping in and out like the waves of the forgotten oceans of Ningenkai, they swept away from an entire palace that had long since been buried._

_The building is old, predating far past the six hundred mark of the war. I don't actually know how old it is, but trust me when I simply state that it is old. The front, where I was luckily left after the shifts, beheld amazing doors, a clean twelve times taller than any man!_

_Unfortunately, the sands of the desert and the sands of time together had worn them long past their prime, and getting in was as easy as knocking, as doing so nearly knocked them off their hinges. _

_As I first entered this magnificent wonder, I was walking down a long, narrow hall, supported by pillars and lined in mosaics depicting ancient battles, forgotten gods and terrible strife. As I walked this great hall, I felt that I alone was in the sole eyes of those gods; that I alone was under their divine scrutiny._

_I later found that this hall was once called The Hall of Judgment. _

_There are many rooms in this palace, so many that I have yet to explore the better half of them. Each holds a new surprise, each a new encountered adventure that allows me the explorations of our past._

_Where I sit to write this letter now, however, is the ancient library. Hundreds upon hundreds of books line the walls and shelves packed to capacity in between. Although many of the books are beyond their age and near to falling apart by mere touch, I have been able to read several, and fear to touch more in the event that they might fall to dust!_

_But from one file I found, and what appears to be the last written work before the dawn of the war, I have learned the truth, the horrible shocking truth of life before the Great War. And so, to pass on what was once lost, what you read now you must never forget._

_I will start the story as I discovered the clues, first with the Garden and followed with the account of the horrors that occurred exactly six hundred and five years ago._

Of the recorded mystery in the Gardens of Reikai Palace and the Beginnings of the Great War;

No record of these following deaths has ever been mentioned in any book of the Dead, nor any list of those who died before or after the Great War. The only proof of the lives of the following is written in seven tombstones, located in the Gardens of the Reikai Palace.

**Rest in Peace **

Urameshi Yusuke

1987 – 2005

_The leader who fought for his friends, and the friend who died fighting_

**Rest in Peace**

Wind-Master Jin

? – 2005

_The demon who died for his friends, hand in hand with his lover_

**Rest In Peace**

Ice-Master Touya

? – 2005

_The demon who died with his lover to save the World they believed in Rest In Peace_

**Rest In Peace**

Kuwabara Kazuma

1987 – 2005

_The hero who died with bravery to the end Rest In Peace_

**Rest In Peace**

Master Genkai

1953 – 2005

_The sensei who knew everything and died to pass it on._

**Rest In Peace**

Jaganshi Hiei

? – 2005

_The Forbidden Child who died for the love he believed in Rest In Peace_

**Rest In Peace**

Shuichi Kurama Minamino

? – 1986 – 2005

…_The Last One Left_

_This is the beginning of the Tale that tells the end..._

_-Kamariann Glorstirn_

_10-28-2610_


	2. The Beginning

**Disclaimer**: …I own nothing. Refer to the prologue disclaimer for the full-blown discussion of such lack of ownership.

**Review Responses**: Thank you all for reading the prologue! I am happy that so many of you love this story. Hopefully, it stays as good as the first installment.

**KittyLuv**: Thank you very much! I am glad that you like my writing style. I hope you enjoy the next chapter.

**Evene**: I'm glad you think the prologue was interesting, however weirdly it's written. As for the war, you won't get too much information on that until the last three chapters. But I'll make sure to try and keep you interested until then. D

**Johsadias**: Thanks, I'm glad you think I'm intelligent (Good thing, because I could have fooled...well, me on that stand by D ) Anyways, I e-mailed you a while back, but I don't know if you got it or not. I tried to read your story, as it looks very interesting. However, it's all one big paragraph, and made my eyes spin when I tried to read it. Try re-updating it after editing it. When you edit it, hit the enter key twice after every paragraph to leave a full space in between each. I have to do this or my story ends up weirdly updated on ff . net, also.

**KyoHana**: Well, I hope this chapter is the follow-up of an excellent beginning. One can always hope. D

**Kuranga108**: Thank you so much! I'm so glad that this story is captivating and mysterious. You won't find out too much about the man, Kamariann Glorstirn. Maybe I'll do a side story on this story that explains his role. Hell, I might even right a complete sequel dealing with the six hundred year war, but not likely. Anyways, all your other questions should be answered by the end of this story. I hope you enjoy it.

**Jesanae Tekani**: Thank you very much. I'm glad the prologue was worded well, as I was slightly worried about it. See, the whole Kamariann Glorstirn part wasn't even supposed to be in it. It was a last minute revision because I didn't like the start of the story or the explanation to it. So I'm glad that so many people love it! Thanks for reading and I hope you like this chapter too.

**Notes**: Well, I hope the prologue was intriguing, in the least. I hoped the death of everyone's favorite characters (from Hiei and Kurama all the way to Jin and Touya) would get people interested.

Alright, I know some of the description that Koenma lays down may get boring for some of you, but I sorta like it. Besides, it's meant to be a report for someone who has no idea what happened or what the tentai look like. So bear with me.

Okay! This is where the real action starts! …Hopefully.

-.-.-.-

_**The Last One Left**_

**Chapter 1**

-The Beginning

-.-.-.-

_Reikai File: RJ50217_

_Access: Classified_

_Date: September 28, 2005_

_Reported and Filed by: Lord Koenma_

The following report is based as per information gathered by Spirit World operatives and the cross-referenced interviews of witnesses and victims of case file RJ50217.

I don't even remember why I sent them there. The demon wasn't that strong. Nothing should have gone wrong. No one should have had to die…

It was late on a Saturday night that I called in the four best employees that I've ever had. Well, I suppose that if I'm being honest about everything then I should honestly say that I have no right to call them employees.

I never paid them for their services to the Reikai, services that saved the lives of countless demons and humans alike…and cost them their own. No, it is not fair to them, even if they are only memories now, to call them my employees as if they were underlings.

To them none are superior. Indeed, not even I, Lord Koenma, next in line for the rule of Spirit World, have equality to them. At best I dare to call them my friends, although I doubt that I am worthy of such a position.

After all, friends do not send friends to their deaths so lightly.

But that was my job. I have to accept responsibility over the entire premise of Reikai; I don't have room to spare for four of the best warriors the world has ever known.

They say that for a greater good, the few must yield to the many. It was a principle taught to me by my father in preparation for the day that I would rule as king of the Spirit World. Now it looks like that day will never come.

And all because I listened to that damn philosophy.

However, this is not the complete truth. In actuality, the demon I sent my Reikai tentai after was not strong. He was not capable of killing my detectives, and he was not capable of starting a war between three worlds.

And yet he did.

But back to the point of recording the last mission of the Reikai Tentai.

Yusuke came in, complaining as always. "Why the hell do we have to come in on a _Saturday night_?" he asked rather rudely. I am used to his disrespectful tones, however. "I had plans, you know!"

Now Yusuke, or Urameshi Yusuke to be formal, was a delinquent before I met him (which was after his unexpected death and granted chance at life once again.) His rude and often brash nature led him into many problems, eventually landing him the life of a truant street punk.

A street punk with a serious penchant for fighting, though. The boy was practically born to battle, and he showed it with every brawl he ever started. Or finished for that matter.

Yusuke is not a very intimidating person if looks are simply what you see. He is only a few inches taller than five feet, perhaps even reaching five and a half. I'm not sure, though, as I've never cared to take a tape measure to the boy.

His black hair, as black as the darkest raven's feathers, is normally unruly, and sticks out in random places at random times. I, for one, never thought it looked bad. He, on the other hand, does not share my sentiments and goes through an approximate five bottles of gel a month to make a point of it.

The real intimidation, however, is when he looks at you. Those deep, chocolate brown eyes gaze through you with the utmost enjoyment of life or the deepest hatred known to human, demon, or god. Immediately, just by watching Yusuke look at someone, you can tell if his opponent is friend or foe; going to be unharmed, injured, or end up dead; and, of course, whether his hatred runs skin deep, blood deep, or soul bound.

Of all of them, if you were an opponent of Urameshi Yusuke, you avoided the last option on all three situations at all costs.

"Plans? Like what, Yusuke?" I asked irritably. Not long ago, I realized that I seem to become much more irate when in my toddler form, so I began trying to wear my teenage form more often. I hear that it is more "good-looking" anyhow.

However, when in the presence of Yusuke, I doubt either form has much to do with my short patience and even shorter fuse.

"Like I was planning on taking Fox-Boy and his little deprived fire demon out to a club!" Yusuke ranted on. I could not help but raise my eyebrow. Kurama and Hiei at a club? Dancing to loud techno and god knows what else under blinding lights and the over all mass of bodies?

It was something that certainly brought a smirk to my face.

"Correction, Yusuke," Kurama broke in. "I do believe that it is _I_ who am treating you to the club. As I am the only one old enough to get you in."

If I wasn't about to address a case to them, I might have laughed. It isn't unlike Yusuke to borrow off of Kurama, who just doesn't know how to say "NO!" to the damn boy.

Many people profess that Kurama is the best looking of all four of them. I can't argue, as his feminine looks are rather beautiful. Red hair, the color of the brightest blood, flows down his back in a spiky waterfall, ending somewhere around his midsection. Tall for one of Japanese descent, through some say he might have European blood in him from the color of his hair, he stands sturdy but skinny somewhere under six feet. Piercing green eyes, as brilliant as the plants that he can summon at will, can invade even the most protected souls.

But Kurama, if you ask anyone, is also the most interesting of all four tentai. The redhead that stands before me now has a past made for the dark version of every fairy tale.

Born Youko Kurama, a young kitsune and fox demon, he was abandoned when he was young and had to fight to survive on his own from then on. And fight he did.

Youko, who was taught young the benefits of stealing, quickly scaled the hierarchy of thieving. By the end of his first century, still quite young for a kitsune, he had become one of the most well-known and feared thieves in all of Makai.

His cold and cruel nature spread terror through the demon world and Youko enforced his reputation with a fierce passion. Perhaps a passion that was too strong, for it was his ultimate down fall.

On a raid-gone-wrong, the kitsune was shot and wounded. But Youko wasn't ready for death, so he transferred his soul with the last power he had in him, and shot it into the death-destined embryo of a human woman.

Even as his soul gave birth to the child that would have otherwise miscarried, the legend of the death of Youko Kurama was practically written in the history books. From that day forth, everything changed for the kitsune. He grew up in a defenseless human body, relying on ningens to get him by in the world. And slowly, he was taught of emotions belonging to humans.

Emotions such as love, which he now guards as his most profound treasure.

Yusuke, going back to the conversation that was going to no doubt end in a full-blown argument, stuck his tongue out at Kurama. A most mature action for my least mature tentai.

"Save it for someone else, Yusuke. I'm already taken," Kurama replied calmly with a small glance at Hiei, who stood beside him. If it were true that one who has beauty has no brains, Kurama would defy all rules of logic. If anything, he's the brains behind our operations.

Without him, I'm sure I'd have lost half my tentai within a month and suffered much more paperwork through the destruction of half the world.

We're just that irrational sometimes.

"Eep!" That was the sound, or as close as I can sound it out in writings, that came from both Yusuke's and Kuwabara's throats. Kurama only smiled, happy to have quieted them for several seconds in the least.

That, and gotten Yusuke to take his tongue back.

"Can we get on with it already?" Hiei cut in with his deep, sharper than a sword voice. "I'd really rather not spend my entire weekend here."

The implied plans in that statement need not be written here, as they are hopefully obvious enough even in a printed dialogue. Hiei, the third member of this rag-tag group of heroes, is the darkest of them all.

If every family has it's shadow, Hiei would top them all. The surprisingly young fire demon holds a tale of life almost as intriguing as the youko who stands beside him.

Born of blood half Koorime, a secluded tribe of asexual, female, ice apparitions, and one half fire demon, Hiei was labeled the Forbidden Child at birth. Due to the nature of Koorimes when it comes to reproduction, his mother was the first to disobey a law and reproduce sexually with a fire demon.

A young koorime pureblood was born, and a bastard fire demon came as her twin. When the Koorime elders learnt of what had conspired, Hiei was thrown off their mile-high island, which still floats above the cold lands of Southern Makai.

Through some miracle that none fully know, Hiei did not die, and grew up to be a thief that could have, if continued, met the standards of Youko Kurama himself. As it turns out, however, the first time that Hiei would thieve with the Youko would be his last bout ever.

Running into Kurama in his human form of approximately ten years old (well, actually he attacked the fox out of a misassumption) they worked together to kill a common enemy, exchanged names, and then vanished from each other's sights for another six years.

A great beginning to tell if one would ask the story of how two of the most profound lovers in all the three worlds had met. Not one of the most romantic, love at first sight stories that make up the fairy tales of the Ningenkai.

Six years later, Hiei returned to ask Kurama for his aid in a thieving bout. It was a raid on the Reikai Palace, directly on a vault only one floor up from where I sit, writing this. Within the vault laid three of the most treasured artifacts within these walls.

As I have a limited amount of paper right now, and my hand is already cramping, I will skip out on the most inner details, as they are not necessary and would save me even more grief to have to remember everything so thoroughly.

Yusuke Urameshi, who had come back to life not a week before, was sent as the third Spirit Detective of the Reikai to return the objects that Hiei, Kurama, and a brainless companion had stolen.

Needless to say, the brainless one was killed, Kurama willingly gave up his object after using it to save his human mother's life, and Hiei was defeated by Yusuke (with the aid of Kurama – another turning point that is a real shocker if one is to consider the blooming relationship of fox and fire demon)

Hiei joined the Reikai tentai about a month later (it took a week for Kurama to convince me to take that course of punishment, two weeks to convince Hiei not to cut the fox's head off for such a suggested punishment, and another week to draw up the papers.) From then on, my four Reikai tentai quickly became the most well-known troublemakers for the Demon World.

"Yes, yes," I continued to Hiei's impatient statement. "This case is rather complex through it's simplicity."

"Huh?" That last input was by the fourth and final member of the Tentai. His name is Kuwabara Kazuma, though we just call him Kuwabara.

Standing at six feet something, the lanky teen is not the most hansom of the group, but possibly the most honest-willed and brave member. Kuwabara, through all his less-then-genius level comments, has stood by the team since the very beginning.

I didn't even ask him to join Yusuke. Unlike Kurama and Hiei, Kuwabara Kazuma joined on his own. Through thick and thin, the teen has grown to consider these three demons (well, I suppose Hiei is the only full demon, as Kurama is reincarnated and Yusuke is only half) as his best friends and I happen to know that the feelings are mostly mutual. (I must say mostly because when Hiei is concerned...feelings are always difficult to figure out.)

Kuwabara can be somewhat of a safety hazard, as his own clumsiness and dumb luck is usually what saves him. But, through and through, he's never let us down, and he won't back out of a fight.

"He means, Kuwabara," Kurama began, fully used to his role as translator, "that the lay-down of this case shouldn't be too hard, and the problem is direct, but the actual completion of this job could be difficult."

"Oh," Kuwabara replied, mostly understanding what it was they were doing now. Kurama gave him a gentle smile and returned his green gaze on me.

"Yes, that is almost exactly what I mean," I continued, picking up a small remote that lay on my desk. I clicked the third button on the left of the top row (I think...or was it the second?) and the TV screen before us flickered on.

The face of a demon, on the better-looking end of the scale, appeared on the screen. His skin was pale, as white as snow it would seem, and contrasted with his dark features to create a sort of…well, vampiric look.

He had long black hair that trailed down to past his shoulders, though the portrait picture didn't go below his chest, so the length was impossible to determine. Cold, navy blue eyes that border-lined black stared at us through thin, almond shaped eyes.

"He doesn't look so tough," Yusuke scoffed as he crossed his arms over his chest. I had to agree with my tentai leader. The demon looked more girly than tough.

But if you want an example as to why not to judge a book by its cover, just look back over my description of Kurama.

"Looks can be deceiving," Hiei replied shortly. I nodded my agreement as the tentai turned back to me, away from the portrait image.

"His name is Akuzuki, and he ranks at a low B class in demon terms." The team only nodded, waiting rather patiently (except for a certain fire demon) for me to continue. "Akuzuki has recently come into the possession of a very rare and dangerous artifact.

"He found it in one of his many mines in the more northern borders of the Takawabashi mountain line. The artifact is a talisman made thousands of years ago by a great sorcerer. It-"

"What, we don't get to know about this sorcerer dude?" Yusuke interrupted. I rolled my eyes and gave an exasperated sigh.

"Look, he was your standard take-over the world evil sorcerer. What more did you want to know?" Yusuke smirked but didn't reply so I continued, "The Kokushibyou, as it was called, is a pendant about the size of your palm."

"Black death?" Kurama asked with a raised eyebrow at the sad irony of the name. I nodded.

"Indeed." Rather than describe the intricate relic, I took up the remote once again and switched the TV screen off of Akuzuki (this time I honestly don't remember what button I pushed.) The image that replaced it was one of a thick, silver ring.

Periodically around the ring were intricately designed bands with twisting vines and diamond edged jewels. Hanging from a chain yet immobile in the center of the ring, hung a glowing glass figure, filled with light. The cone shaped container was connected to the chain by a silver claw, each finger of the claw like a bat wing.

Wrapped around the light were two bands, like the rings of an atom diagram. To be most honest, I'm not even sure words could describe the picture. More than likely, I would have just confused the tentai and they would have brought back some Egyptian vase or something, claiming it was what I described.

The team stared at the picture, memorizing its features. Kurama looked back at me first, the others following suit.

"What does the artifact do?" he asked in his light voice. I gave him an apologetic, almost sheepish look.

"We…don't know." Kuwabara and Yusuke did a double take, Kurama began rubbing his temples, and Hiei snorted.

"You don't know!" Kuwabara shouted out and I, again, gave an apologetic nod. Hiei rolled his eyes and gave one of his customary, one-syllable responses.

"Hn."

"Figures," Yusuke replied gruffly.

Used to the lack of respect for how hard it is to actually get information from ogres, I just continue with my earlier account, "We do know that the artifact is extremely dangerous, and apparently, when activated, it can destroy an entire plane of existence."

There was a very long, almost dumbfounded silence that followed that statement. The looks that were all being directed at me were nothing less than dubious shock.

I took a deep breath when it was apparent that this look was going to be permanent if I didn't continue. "Look, I know it sounds crazy, but so was this sorcerer."

"How does it work?" Kurama asked suddenly and I looked over to him. He was staring once again at the image of the pendent.

"Well…we are not completely positive, but it has something to do with a reaction of live and dead energy resting in the center of the Kokushibyou," I answered.

"The glass thingy that's glowing?" Kuwabara asked, referring to the central object hanging from the ring. I nodded.

"We don't honestly know completely why it works, but apparently when energy is not used in a very long time, it becomes dormant, or what we call dead energy," I continued to try and explain how the mechanism would work if activated. I was, however, interrupted by Hiei, who decided I wasn't doing a well enough job.

"When dead energy lies dormant for many years, it slowly becomes more and more sensitive to active energy. According to legend, if active energy is infused with dormant, you get something several times more powerful than what you humans call an atom bomb, but as silent and as invisible as a plague."

Yusuke whistled as Hiei summed up the end of the world in a rather short paragraph. I only nodded as Kuwabara turned to me for a look of confirmation. Unfortunately enough, everything that Hiei had said was a most accurate account of what we believed would happen were the amulet to be activated.

"But that won't happen if we can capture the Kokushibyou before Akuzuki has a chance to use it," I tried to give them reassurance. It looked like it sort of worked, as Yusuke seemed to be somewhat happy about the upcoming fight.

"Does he know how to activate it?" Kurama asked. As I turned to him, he once again was staring at the screen. I frowned slightly; the fact that something was bothering him was too obvious for the fox.

However, Hiei beat me to the question, as the fire demon nudged Kurama's arm. As the fox looked down to him, he whispered somewhat quieter, "Are you alright?"

A look of surprise crossed Kurama's face before he regained his demeanor and gave a light smile. "I'm fine, Hiei," he replied to his lover. However, his next words were directed towards me, "But I do have a relatively bad feeling about this mission."

I tilted my head slightly. I know that back then, when Kurama had said that, I should have taken more care. The fox, although not a psychic, had always had somewhat strong instincts, being a canine relative and all.

Of course, if I had thought about it reasonably back then they'd all still be alive and Reikai would still be intact.

"I'm sure it's just nerves, Kurama," I replied, attempting to comfort him. I knew that it was only going to work to an extent, but I also knew that Hiei would be there to help some. "This has a relatively dangerous side to it as it is."

Kurama, as I predicted, was certainly less optimistic, but he nodded. He looked back at me with eyes that were almost dark with seriousness and dread. Although I had seen Kurama serious before, the fox's look had troubled me even back then.

"Does he know how to activate it?" he repeated his earlier question.

"We don't know," I answered honestly for him as I stood up from behind my desk. I gathered several papers into my hands as I continued, "We are not certain, but it can't be long before he figures out how.

"I need you guys to leave as soon as possible. We need to get there quickly," I continued as handed the papers off to Kurama, who took them with a surprised look.

Yusuke, curious, glanced over Kurama's shoulders to the papers. Hiei did the same from the fox's elbow, pulling them down slightly so he could see the printed words. Kuwabara glanced over the kitsune's other shoulder and hair, which was possible from the teen's lanky height.

"This information…" Kurama began, looking up towards me. "We're going to have to be extremely careful to pull this off…"

Hiei snorted. "Sneaking around this place…with the humans' clumsiness, we'll never pull it off. It's too dangerous."

Yusuke and Kuwabara seemed to have a slight fit at this. Well, slight is a very large under exaggeration for the two, but I am sure you get the idea. Kurama shook his head.

"No, they can pull it off," he began, handing the papers back to me. "This place…the keep that Akuzuki built near his mines, it isn't impenetrable. Indeed, though, Yusuke and Kuwabara are going to have to exhibit beyond care in avoiding detection."

"Which is why you are not sneaking anywhere," I said before they could continue the debate. My tentai looked up at me, two of them angry and shocked and the other two relatively calm but surprised.

"That information was given to you because you and Hiei are going in as negotiators."

Big time double take. All four of them gave me that "_I question your sanity"_ look. Sighing, I continued, "We can't risk a full assault on the keep. As you can see from the information gathered by Spirit Operatives, the keep is built into the mountain valley. It is practically impossible to penetrate _and _it will be twice as difficult because of Kuwabara's human clumsiness."

Although I did not mean it as an insult, simply a fact, Kuwabara seemed to grow angry at my statement, but Kurama held him back with an arm.

"I am not trying to anger you, Kuwabara," I continued as the teen seemed ready to push past the fox. "Instead of unnecessary risk, Kurama and Hiei will enter the fortress, under peaceful regards, as negotiators.

"They will then bargain with Akuzuki and offer him thanks for revealing an ancient clue to our four world's history, and then give him this as an exchange."

I held out my hand, revealing a shining jewel worth more than money could explain. Kurama's mouth parted into a small smile. Leaning forward, I held the jewel out for him to see, his slender fingers running over it's smooth exterior.

The green gem was diamond in shape, long in length and stout in width. I had it placed in a silver lining, wrapped in intricate detail and old carvings. If the gem was not enough to entice his interest, the added detail should aid in interesting the artifact hunter.

Kurama smiled as he pulled his hand back. "I do believe that gem was stolen about two hundred years ago." He tilted his head slightly. "How'd you get it?"

I heard Hiei give a soft snort as the fox made a reference to his own thieving job. Placing the gem back down in its dark mahogany case, I shrugged my shoulders.

"We received it through an... anonymous contact," I replied. I attempted to make the "contact" remain a mystery, as Youko Kurama might have become most upset at someone pilfering one of his numerous dens.

Namely the fire demon standing beside him...on orders from me to retrieve the artifact for said exchange. How was I supposed to know that Kurama had stolen the artifact in his last life? But that was beyond the point, and a dangerous one to mention.

"Nonetheless, you two will bargain the gem for the Kokushibyou. Yusuke and Kuwabara will escort you into the stronghold, and leave with you once you have secured the gem."

"And if these transactions fall through?" I looked over to Yusuke, who hadn't spoken in some time. I gave him an approving nod.

"Then the four of you will leave the keep and return that night," I paused slightly as I looked over the four of them, "to steal it."

Kurama nodded and Hiei looked much happier with this idea then with the first. I only prayed that he wasn't going to "make" the plans fall through just to give his thievery skills a little thrill.

"However, I wish to make this very clear," I continued, taking the time to try and dispel whatever plan Hiei might have had for aiding in possible failure of negotiations. "We want as little trouble as possible. We don't have any idea what capabilities Akuzuki has.

"To keep things as safe and clean as possible when dealing with such a delicate matter, I would prefer we go the safe route and bargain. The gem isn't worth all that much to Spirit World, while the artifact could be deadly."

I looked over to Kurama and Hiei. "You are, under no circumstance, to reveal the Kokushibyou's true power. Simply stick to its financial worth and historical value."

As both detectives nodded at my instructions, the shorter of the two snorting at the fact that I had to actually tell them this, Kuwabara spoke up,"You keep saying how dangerous this mission is, but it can't be that bad. I mean, how likely is it that he even knows what that thingy is?"

I glanced at the image of the Kokushibyou before returning my hazel gaze to Kuwabara. "Although it is not likely, the possibility still stands. And with it standing, my father has declared that no action is to be forced upon Akuzuki while he has such an unknown factor in his hands."

When no one objected or asked any more questions during the pause I placed after those words, I handed the box containing our bargaining chip to Kurama.

"Now, a messenger was sent concerning your arrival and Akuzuki has promised his acceptance of your company. If all goes well, your housing for the night has also been insured."

"Oh, well then let's just pray that all goes well," Yusuke put in sarcastically, "because I have always dreamt of spending the night in a creepy keep with a dude that has a thing for rusty old artifacts that we're tricking out of his possession. Yep, a dream come true."

With that he walked out of the office, followed by a chuckling Kuwabara. I just shook my head and looked to Kurama, who promised that he would make Yusuke think more seriously about the mission.

"Good luck, you two," I spoke the last words I would ever say to my tentai as the two made their way after Yusuke and Kuwabara. Kurama looked back over his shoulder and flashed me a comforting smile.

For some reason, I did not find it all that comforting.

-o-o-o-o-o-

Dang that chapter just didn't want to end! Phew! Oh well, the next chapter is going to be extremely long. Something to look forward to: Twenty-fivepages in the least (this one was fifteen.) God, that's going to be a workload!

Anyways, I hope you guys enjoyed it. It certainly was fun to write as I tried to include some humor in it. The real action comes next chapter, when they invade the keep as "negotiators."

Which I'm sure all of you know doesn't go so well. 8)

I don't believe I have any author's notes to post, so if you guys have any questions you'll just have to ask them in a review.

Oh, I almost forgot to mention. The chapter may seem...formal with big words. Yeah...uh...don't really know the reason for this, but I felt that it fit with this whole thing being a filed report and all. I trust it wasn't too bad.

Also, I proofed it, but I hope you'll forgive if there are a couple of errors.

Well, I hope you liked it and will tune in for the next chapter!

Please review!


	3. Death One

**Dislcaimer**: …I'm so tired of repeatedly telling strangers how broke I am…I'm not so sure this is healthy 8

**Review Responses**: Whelp, no review responses do to the new rule. My new policy is that I will be e-mailing those of you who had questions, gave ideas, or just things that need responding. To those of you who I do not contact within the week, thank you so much for reading and reviewing, it means a lot to an author.

**Notes**: Alrighty, a few things to cover.

**Note 1:** Since it's been a while since I updated, let's do a brief recap, shall we? Let's see… Our Author, _Kamariann Glorstirn_, has discovered, six hundred years in the future, a large palace buried beneath the every changing sands of the Kerabi desert. There he found seven tombs and an account of the last days of the Spirit World.

From then on, the story shifts to the filed report by Lord Koenma, Prince of the Spirit World. Introducing our tentai, he recounts the day he sent his employees to Feroc Keep, where a demon Akuzuki holds in possession a recently found artifact that could destroy an entire plane of existence.

The tentai have been sent out to the keep to negotiate the exchange of this artifact under peaceful terms. (Anyone getting Star Wars flashes here? I'll make sure to keep it FAR from that 8D))

**Note 2:** Secondly, this is a written file that you are reading. Therefore, any actions in the writing (such as crossed out words, doodles, scribbles, and notes written on the side) will be marked as so by / blah

Thought that might help drop some confusion. This will only happen once or twice during the story, but this chapter involves the first of these action writings and they are an important factor of the report. It shows emotion from the filer of this report and analysis from a reader.

**Note 3:** The reminder is in the summary, but in case you skipped over that, please recall that Koenma is the narrator for most of this particular section of the story and will be for most of its remainder. These thoughts and actions are not mine but the writings of the Prince of Reikai.

**Note 4**: This chapter marks the beginning of information given of the interviews and cross-referencing that Koenma held. Some parts _may_ get confusing, although I tried to keep down as much random talking of the tentai as possible.

If you have any questions about anything said or confusing or misunderstood issues, please state so in a review or E-mail so I may better the story. Thanks!

**Note 5:** I have recently realized by going back over the first chapter that Koenma's point of view was in the present tense when he spoke of himself. As I am normally embarrassingly honest about these sorts of things, I will admit that that was an accident. Any speaking from now on will be in past tense. However, the error is not bad and mostly works with the story so I see no immediate reason in fixing it. I'm just damned about stupid mistakes.

**Note 6:** Also, please try to understand and not misinterpret the stress that Kurama is under and that his following actions are not a result of anything but his need to complete the mission. This note will not make sense until you read the chapter, so please just keep it in mind.

**Note 7: **Alright, the rating is coming into play in this chapter as implied sexual happenings and slight or borderline horror is included. Please read according to your comfort and heed the warning if you are under aged. There is no graphic sex, however.

**Note 8.** I simply refuse to apologize for the length of this chapter. Instead, I will explain. First I love long chapters; little three page chapters just tend to annoy me so mine are normally around ten.

This one is over fifty-two. Yeah, yeah, I know I said 25. Well I was wrong!

Again, I will not apologize: if you do not like long chapters, bookmark the URL and read it in several sittings.

Unfortunately, I couldn't break this chapter up because of a very dumb and stupid reason: Perfectionism.

You see, the title of this chapter is Death One...I can't split the chapter if someone dies...It just doesn't work that way! Oh, you'll understand in later chapters! So for now you'll either have to live, or read it in two or three sittings.

Hope you enjoy nonetheless.

-.-.-.-

**The Last One Left**

_Chapter 2_

- Death One

-.-.-.-

"Why are we doing this again?" Yusuke growled as the high, afternoon sun bit at his eyes. For the hundredth time that day he wiped the water that had formed at the lids of his stinging eyes.

"I don't know, something about the world ending if we didn't," Kurama answered, his own nerves scaling quickly towards the end of his patience. "Yeah, I think that had something to do with it."

"And _we_ could have been clubbing!" Yusuke muttered under his breath in response. Kurama closed his eyes and counted to ten to calm his nerves.

He then counted to fifty when the first try didn't work.

"We're almost there, anyways," Hiei replied when he suddenly appeared before them as they rested beside the mountain's cliff face. Unfortunately, they were on the wrong side of the mountains; the sun created a shadow on the eastern side, and they were at the western base.

"Did you see it?" Kuwabara asked as Kurama picked himself up from his seated position. Unconsciously, he dusted himself free of the dirt and small, desert like plants that had clung to his clothing.

Hiei only gave a curt nod before vanishing again. Yusuke gave a loud sigh but climbed to his feet beside Kurama. "Now," he began, "you're supposed to be a negotiator, right?"

Kurama gave a nod as he started walking.

"And we're supposed to act like bodyguards?"

The fox nodded again.

"Oookay, then I suppose we should start flanking you or something, since we'll be in eyesight of the keep soon," Yusuke suggested in a sort of question. Kurama smiled slightly.

"That's not a bad plan, but please don't overdue it, Yusuke. Bodyguard, not hustler," he reprimanded and Yusuke rolled his eyes with a huff.

"I wasn't _going to_," he replied in dignity but Kurama was already shaking his head and walking away. With Hiei in the lead, jumping from the few gnarled trees that bordered the mountainside, the tentai made their way over the small, rolling knolls that began pushing the mountainside away from the wandering detectives.

As they climbed to the height of the last hill, the mountains fell away into the valley laid out some hundred feet beneath them. The hills rolled into soft, fertile ground that was incased in high, towering mountains.

Although the valley was small, no more than a mile in length and less than that in width, it stretched out in flat land and housed many intricate buildings among its suddenly lush landscape. As they stared down upon the valley, stables and warehouses, all built in the forms of old architecture could be seen, creating an odd village look.

And at the far end, where the valley drew to a box canyon with wide rimmed walls to form a broad U-shape, lay the keep. To say it was large would have been an insult, as the keep was at least the size of the Reikai palace, if not more.

Towering walls built of obsidian stone as black as the midnight sky rose out of the ground to form spiraling turrets. Four of these magnificent structures rose to form a rectangular base, rising a good hundred feet off the ground.

Connected between were thick, four-men wide walls built to last an eternity and survive any attack. The thick stone shone like black water against the sun as the rough carvings left hitches and markings like waves. The walls wrapped around the keep and protruded in the front, leaving a welcoming doorway of silver wood.

Guards stood on either side of the massive doors (making it much less welcoming,) armed with crossbows and swords, not to mention their own demon abilities. Agnate soldiers walked the walls above, guarding the keep as if it were of their own kin.

The group noticed almost immediately the lack of windows in the keep, as only the spires held roughly cut rectangles no larger in width than a man's head. Kurama speculated and explained that this keep was most likely thousands of years old and had survived through many great wars.

That explained the Lord of the Rings similarity to it all, or so Yusuke mocked with a laugh.

Kurama sighed at the lack of sobriety in the two humans. For some reason, the teens would not accept the possible dangers in this infiltration. And fox feared that it would be their undoing.

Hiei stepped up beside him as the kitsune turned his thoughts to their upcoming task. He gently nudged the fox with his arm and soon found Kurama's piercing green eyes focused on him.

"You ready?" he asked in a quiet voice even as a nagging feeling of being watched bothered him. The fox glanced over at Yusuke and Kuwabara who, thank Inari, were standing quietly and observing the narrow valley below.

With a sharp, curt nod, Kurama started the descent into the canyon by means of a mild, winding path down the rocky hillside. The mountains that had once bordered their side had bent away, leading in the opposite direction to create the opening of the box valley.

Hiei gave a quick glance all around them, surveying everything as Yusuke and Kuwabara clambered down after the fox. When nothing seemed wrong, Hiei shrugged off the strange feeling of being watched, and followed after his teammates.

-o-o-o-o-o-

"Halt."

The tentai paused in their march as they neared within fifty feet of the keep. They all knew that their presence had been noticed long ago as the sun had sunk past the valley's mountainous walls.

The deep, clear voice rang out once again. "What is your purpose at Feroc Keep?"

"That's what this place is called?" Yusuke whispered in a mocking tone. "Damn, you'd think some place like that would have a more…intimidating name."

"Oh, I'm sure it scares those who know that the sorcerer's name was Feroc," Kurama answered nonchalantly as he stared at the tall, armored guard standing on the wall.

Yusuke's head whipped around to look at the fox standing beside him. "We're going to stay in a _sorcerer's _keep!" he all but shouted and Hiei shoved his elbow into him, making him yelp.

"Bodyguard, Yusuke. Not fire alarm," Hiei said, mocking the screech Yusuke had just let out as Kuwabara began to laugh, asking if it was now a nightmare come true instead of his earlier mocking of a dream. Thankfully, it wasn't all that loud, so the likelihood of the guard hearing it was small.

"We are here on Reikai business," Kurama spoke when the two had settled down. His voice was deeper than normal and commanding as is echoed throughout the box-canyon end of the valley.

The guard seemed a bit hesitant and then shouted out to open the gates. As guards behind the wall began to work the mechanism for the doors, the two guards standing on either side stepped forward to approach the tentai. The taller of the two, who was concealed behind a heavy helmet, was the first to speak.

"You are the representatives sent by Koenma-sama?" he asked in a stern voice that warned them not to lie. My small feeling of self-importance at learning how this Akuzuki held my name in honor was not long lived, considering that the one I was interviewing to learn this information had died not two days before.

But back to the happenings at Feroc Keep. Hiei gave him a nod that clearly warned him not to mess with the four of them.

"Then follow; Akuzuki-sama is waiting," the second guard, who wore no helmet, spoke as he motioned towards his companion.

The helmeted soldier motioned stiffly for them to follow him as a rumbling ran through the earth. Yusuke looked ahead with emotionless eyes, yet awed internally as the giant doors each the size of several men, began to groan and push outwards.

Slowly they moved, as if hauled by a beast that was pushing them open. And yet, as they split apart and crawled along until they halted with a loud thud, there was no beast.

Wondering how they had opened such awe-inspiring doors, Kuwabara picked up his bag as the guard motioned for them to move forward, he himself already walking through the doors. Shouldering his pack, Kuwabara took up the rear guard, blocking in Kurama and Hiei as their bodyguard jobs had dictated.

They walked quietly behind the guard as he led them through the large, steeled doors. Beyond, however, Yusuke could not keep his eyes from widening slightly.

The tentai had entered a large – no – enormous courtyard. It stretched at least a fourth of a mile before them and was double that in length, as they stood on the courtyard's side.

From the information supplied by Lord Koenma, Kurama knew that the back wall they faced, the one opposite from the entry doors, was built into the thick box canyon walls. Although the size of the visible keep (and it was so well designed that you could no tell it extended past the canyon wall and well into it) was indeed impressive and near the size of the Reikai palace, the true building was nearly three times as large.

The sheer size of the building had Kurama and Hiei amazed, as only entire cities or castles were normally built so grandly.

Their guide, however, did not give them long to leisure at the grandeur. He started off almost immediately across the courtyard, which was lined and crossed in cobble-stoned sidewalks.

Fountains rose at periodic placements in the grassy fields of the square, spouting water from intricately designed statues. Smaller, dribble-fountains lined the walls of the keep and each was designed, as with the larger fountains, with a different architectural structure.

Among the sound of tranquil churning water, the soft call of tamed birds sung around them, despite the growing hour. They flitted between the tall, green trees that rose from the earth, shading the benches around the ornate fountains, or housing a flower or shrub bed.

Wildlife was everywhere and made the others picture a sort of utopia described in many European texts. Passing a small statue of a demonic angel (interesting art, one might say; a devil shaped body possessing white wings of the most beautiful feathers Kurama had ever seen sculpted) the group was led to the opposite end of the keep.

Glancing back across the courtyard, Hiei eyed the closing doors with a certain feel of claustrophobia. They were nowhere near closed in, but those doors could not be opened by the tentai if needed in an emergency. And he was pretty sure Kuwabara wouldn't be able to jump the wall.

Kurama gently brushed against Hiei, making the quite purposeful movement seem like a common accident. The fire demon gave a soft snort and turned back to see a similar, yet much smaller, pair of doors before them. The black obsidian walls glittered in the light of the rising moon as the guard shoved his hands into the silver doors.

Hiei greatly doubted that these were made of the steal of the front gate as they groaned under the soldier's strength. He pushed hard enough to make them open the rest of the way on momentum and, resting his hand on the hilt of his sword, he continued into the keep.

Yusuke led the group, the pack he and Hiei shared held onto his back by the single string his fisted hand held. Brown eyes widened more as he stepped into the confinements of the keep, almost dropping the sac.

"Oh my god," he whispered under his breath. They had entered a great hall, made of pure black stone through which gold ores had leaked, striping the stone in glittering beauty.

The room stretched out before them in the size of a football field in the least, the length running beside them once again. At the other end were two grand staircases, made of a glittering gold that held black splotches of a separate kind of ore. They sat opposite one another, centered in the room and facing each other.

Curving inwards like the old mansions of Europe, the stairs met to form a thirty or so foot balcony that overlooked the foyer room. Black laced handrails met to form a guardrail where a single man stood, leaning every so lightly against it.

His pale hands were holding up his slightly slacked form as he was leaning forward some look down at the guests. A long, flowing black robe was wrapped around him much in the style of Youko Kurama. The main difference, however, was that the tunic showed no pants, only more layers of the dress like ending beneath the first. It was lined in a silver and gold satin/silk that made the fabric flow gently in a nonexistent wind.

Long, raven-black hair was clasped tightly in a ponytail at the owner's neck and fell down over his shoulder to stop at his waist, swishing with his clothes. Loose strands that might have passed as bangs fell around the man's face, framing the soft skin and dark eyes.

The tips of the bangs and the end of the ponytail were pure gold, as if dipped in the liquid treasure. (Hiei was trying not to snort at the man's obvious addiction to black and gold) Almond eyes of a dark navy, almost pure black in color, were surveying the tentai some twenty feet below.

Thin, pale lips formed a welcoming smile as the figure suddenly moved from his spot, swishing over to one of the staircases as water would swish over rocks. The man moved like the wind, soft and graceful and yet had an underestimated strength hidden beneath.

As I understand it, he was very good-looking for a demon when he wasn't menacing or angry.

Kurama smiled as the man swept down the staircase and approached them, arms spread wide in a welcoming gesture. The guard who had led them quickly bowed to his master and turned, leaving the room with an undying lack of grace compared to the one who stood before them.

"Welcome, welcome!" the man greeted in a soft and yet deep baritone voice. It almost rumbled through the earth and yet seemed as light as the wind at the same time, as if two were speaking as one.

Kurama paused for a minute on the thought, but knew no such reason for that random thought. Paperwork and thorough examination had led to the conclusion that the demon before them was one of metal abilities but no such occurrence of a double personality.

He simply had an interesting voice.

"You must be Master Kurama, correct? And Master Hiei, was it? Yusuke, and Kuwabara? I'm so glad to have you all visiting my lovely home," the demon said happily, addressing the two demons as there (made up) rank applied.

Akuzuki all but swept Kurama into a hug and shook his hand vigorously. He patted Yusuke on the back and greeted Kuwabara with a friendly joke and a grin that stretched from ear to ear.

Hiei watched with calm, steeled eyes as he inwardly calculated the demon, taking in his warm eyes and happy gestures of greeting. The man seemed harmless; happy to see them and even happier to cooperate.

Conclusion: the fire demon trusted him less than any other demon they had ever encountered.

Did I mention that Hiei has a very good set of instincts? If I didn't, then reread the last sentence ten times: he deserves it.

"Come, come, I have had dinner prepared for us! I hope you all like hide of the Nomlas. Come, come!" Akuzuki took Kurama by the elbow, looping his arm with the kitsune's and began making his way back to the stairs.

Neither Hiei nor Yusuke (or Kuwabara, for that matter) seemed exactly pleased at their enemy taking Kurama by the hand and skipping tra-la-la towards the staircase.

Throwing the detective a _Don't_-_underestimate_-_him_ glance, Hiei followed after, flanked by Yusuke and Kuwabara who walked on either side but slightly behind as to keep up the show of master and bodyguard.

As they reached the top of the staircase, Akuzuki led them to another set of double doors (Yusuke was beginning to wonder if a single door in the entire keep was not a double door) and gently pushed on the pure gold.

The doors slid open with no resistance and no groan as the other two doors had. Beyond them, where Akuzuki was already pulling Kurama, was a wide, long hallway that stretched far back. Doors of different metals, woods, and stone lined the way on either side, each ornamented with different carvings or sculptures.

The raven-haired keep owner and the fox made their way down the hall, never pausing in their pace as Akuzuki pointed to this and that, showing and teaching Kurama practically everything there was to know about the particular hallway and parts of the keep.

Yusuke through a glance in which he rolled his eyes at Kuwabara, who made a small gag motion, but kept it almost unnoticeable. Akuzuki seemed to pay no heed if he noticed anything, which was unlikely considering the storm he was talking up with their teammate.

Kurama was only nodding politely, expressing a compliment or a curious question every few descriptions as he learned more about the founder of this keep then he ever cared to know.

He was beginning to feel sick at some of the stories and starting to agree with Yusuke's lack of enthusiasm at spending the night in an evil sorcerer's ex-home.

"And there, if you'll look, you can see..." Hiei tuned the annoying man out as he watched his fox smile and nod, giving up a tough act to break. Yet, the fire demon could tell that Kurama was not fully enjoying it. In fact, the fox seemed to be getting somewhat revolted.

For good reason, too. Who knew that dragon intestines could be used as a good remedy for some odd disease, or the potent ingredient in a very dark spell.

Hiei shook his head, hearing the displeasure of the Kokuryuha hearing about his races' demise. Glancing around, he almost stopped walking as he portrayed an ice blue wall made of a gleaming, pale blue rock.

Carved into the ice colored stone doors was a floating island, clouds floating softly by in a picture so well sculpted that Hiei could almost see the fluffy clouds blowing slowly past.

With a shake of his head, realizing that the stone was one of many types that supported the floating structure of the Koorime Island, the fire demon left it behind without a second glance.

Yusuke and Kuwabara were both surveying every inch of the hall they could. The different Makai images that were carved into doors and walls, and paintings were almost fascinating, depicting some things that neither wished to know and others that they longed to know more about.

"Ah, here we are!" Akuzuki said cheerfully as he stopped at a set of thick, wooden doors with the beautifully depicted carvings of a feast, happily supplying a crowd that gathered before a king and queen on a throne, laughing merrily as a jester danced across the floor.

Once again, Hiei noticed that the picture seemed to almost move in it's carving, the jester cart-wheeling across the staged floor before the king and queen, who ate merrily at their thrones.

Giving his eyes a serious blink and his head a shake, he moved his gaze off the carved picture. The doors parted to let them pass, revealing a large dining room.

It was not wide, yet long, and hosted a lengthy table that spanned the entire distance of the room. Chairs lined either side, the ends having one chair each. The table must have seated a hundred guests and yet only the five places at the end closest to them were set, each with silky black napkins that contrasted the golden tablecloth and the pearly white plates.

Three doors lined the left wall, each placed evenly throughout the wall and most likely leading to a kitchen either below or beside them. Kurama guessed on the former of the options as Akuzuki led him to the first chair of the right side, the end being closest to them.

Kurama gave a thankful nod as the raven-haired man pulled out the chair and motioned for the fox to sit. He motioned to the others, welcoming them to sit as well but did not go so far as to pull their chairs out.

"Now," Akuzuki began as he sat at the head of the table, Hiei on his right and Kurama on his left. He addressed the latter, "I understand that you wish to acquire one of my recently found possessions."

Hiei held back a grunt at being ignored as their host unfolded the silk napkin and laid it in his lap. Kurama gave a nod and as soon as he had done so, one of the doors (the closest, conveniently) opened to admit a young demon, one who _looked_ no more than twenty and could _be_ no more than a century old.

The pointy-eared man was wearing a white outfit and a low cap that hung sideways on his head but held his bangs and shoulder-length hair out of his face and front. He carried a heavily laden tray of meats, cheeses, crackers, wine, and many other things that neither Yusuke nor Kurama could identify as either human or demon foods.

Akuzuki waved the boy forward happily and the young man set his tray down on the edge of the table, unloading the food, wine glasses, bottle, and crystal goblets of water onto the table. His master thanked him before waving him off and merrily inviting the others to dig in before he did.

Kurama politely put small bits of food on his plate and nibbled at them slowly. Hiei touched very little of the food, cautious of much of it. Yusuke and Kuwabara, however, were wolfing down the food in the most mannerly way the two of them could manage, which only gained a chuckle from their host.

"Now then," Akuzuki began after he had swallowed a rather tasty piece of pheasant, which he found a most interesting tasting bird, especially since it was native to the Ningenkai. "About this possession..."

Kurama took a small sip of his wine, washing down the surprisingly revolting taste of phoenix, having only realized what it was after he bit into it. Holding back the urge to gag at having taking part in eating one of the most amazing and rare birds in demon world (Not to mention a form of Yusuke's spirit beast) he turned to his host.

"Yes, we would like to discuss a possible trade for your possession, as it holds great historical importance to the Reikai," Kurama replied business-like and diplomatic. Akuzuki gave him an enigmatic smile as he tilted his head slightly, black hair falling over his shoulder.

Those dark eyes took in Kurama, scanning his own emerald, bright ones. Unsure of what exactly Akuzuki was doing, the fox looked away, eyes landing on Hiei. The fire demon was practically steaming in anger but somehow managing to keep it hidden to all but the trained eye.

The fox spirit almost smirked.

"Yes, well, let us speak of it after dinner, then," Akuzuki suddenly stated when he traced Kurama's gaze back to the fire demon. Hiei looked back down to his food, taking another small bite. Kurama turned to their host and gave a dazzling smile, nodding.

The door opened again as the others continued working their way through the appetizer meal. Yusuke looked up as a peculiar smell touched his demonic senses. The waiters, plural this time, brought in several trays full of a dark red meat and others closer to the color of steak, all steaming from the still cooking heat burning within them.

Akuzuki smiled as the rest of the half-eaten food was taken away and their drinks were replaced. "Dig in, dig in," he welcomed as he took up a long, sharp knife and began slicing pieces off the flank of meat.

Yusuke glanced at Kurama whom he sat beside. He recognized none of the meat that had been brought, as it seemed there was more than one type. Nor did he know what was in the deep silver bowls that had been served.

One seemed to be deep blue goo that might have passed for a soup. Another was a stuffing like substance except that it was varying greens and browns, looking like a pair of camouflage pants that had been torn into shreds and packed with moldy bread.

Yusuke wasn't sure if he was so hungry anymore.

"What is this stuff?" he whispered to Kurama as Akuzuki hummed happily, cutting the meat and passing the tentai plates full of it and the other substances. The fox glanced briefly at him before accepting a plate from the raven-haired host.

"Nomlas is a demonic fish...think of a mix of ningen salmon and trout," he replied quietly as he passed another plate full of the varying meat to Yusuke, who accepted it hesitantly.

"Oh, well that just sounds appetizing," Yusuke replied sarcastically as he poked the blue goo on his plate. Kurama elbowed him slightly and he hissed, but stopped playing with the food.

"That's Ecuij of Yendik. Don't eat it, you won't like it," Kuramawhispered as he took a forkful of a black meat slice. He chewed it slowly before swallowing. He told Yusuke to try that one.

It tasted sort of like blueberries, only with a steak like tinge of flavor. Yusuke shrugged, it wasn't that bad. But he poked the blue substance once more. "What _is_ it?"

"You don't want to know," Kurama whispered back as he carefully avoided the blue substance. Yusuke gave him a glare that clearly stated _Try me_ and Kurama gave a sigh. Leaning over, he whispered, "It's the result of squeezing the liver and kidneys of the Nomlas, often mixed with demonic plants that are well known for inducing a euphoric poison. It is quite the delicacy of the demon world."

Yusuke visibly paled and pushed his plate, spinning it so that the blue stuff was as far away from him as physically possible. "Demonic delicacies are disgusting."

Kurama smirked, the idea of ningen tripe coming into his head and he casually wondered if Yusuke had ever tried the stomach of sheep. He turned away, not asking the question, however, as he felt a light tap on his sleeve.

"Here," Akuzuki suggested as he gently pushed a fork in Kurama's direction. Pierced on the top was a slim piece of meat that had not been served to the fox. "You should try this, it's the highest quality dragon meat you can get this far South."

Kurama blinked, the sudden thought of eating dragon's meat disgusting him enough that he feared he might gag were he to take it. And yet, he could not risk insulting their host.

He reached slowly out for the fork, but Akuzuki pulled it back slightly. With a very enigmatic smile and a tilt of his head, he answered, "I only have one fork, my dear Kurama."

The fox seemed hesitant, unsure what do to simply because he knew he didn't want to do it. But it was obvious, as it had been to him when Akuzuki greeted him, that the demon was definitely playing with him.

Resisting the great urge to glance at Hiei, he swallowed a silent gulp and took the meat into his mouth, the fork sliding gracefully back out as Akuzuki pulled it back, meatless.

Kurama chewed through the tender, soft swallows of the dragon and finally gave a fake smile, approving of the taste of the meat, and yet lying the whole way. Akuzuki seemed ecstatic and happily gave a portion of his Dragon meat to the fox.

With a silent sigh, Kurama glanced over at Hiei, who was sitting stiffly in his seat, poking at his food with the occasional fork jab. Looking down at his plate, Kurama suddenly felt sick with the intensifying feeling of disaster deep in the pit of his stomach.

-o-o-o-o-

"Now," Akuzuki began in a much stiffer, business tone. He sat in a dark leather chair, the stone base and back rising out into two small bat wings. Before him was a large, beautifully carved desk of rich, dark wood. Symbols and pictures depicting great battles weaved their way around its thick frame.

Kurama and Hiei sat facing him from the other side of the desk. Their own chairs were both the dark black skin and stone. Both, however, rose up and out to form one black angel wing, Kurama's on the right and Hiei's on the left.

The kitsune sat, thighs crossed and hands clasped neatly in his lap, in the right chair. His calm, peaceful eyes watched Akuzuki with a harmless, calculating stare. He had long since pulled his hair into a relaxed, high ponytail. It kept all but his bangs and side locks out of the way.

Beside him, arms crossed in a usual, abrupt manner, was Hiei. His red eyes were much less calm and were all but glaring at the man before him. Despite Kurama's calming attempts, the fire demon was still pissed about the occurrence at dinner.

And the worst part was that, while Kurama seemed oblivious to it, Hiei would swear that Akuzuki was taunting him; that he knew of their relationship as he watched Hiei with smirking eyes.

The room they sat in was plain and yet impressive, as if meant to awe its occupants but not seem fancy. The walls were made of the same stone as everything else in the castle but for the wood paneling placed over it's lower half. The wood was colored a dull gold and flecked with black paint, creating an awe-inspiring effect.

From the ceiling hung a large, circular chandelier that emitted light from the center of its bowl-like shape. No candles or flame (or light bulb for that matter) lit the room so Kurama guessed it was a form of magic.

Large canvases and tapestries depicting great battles, famous gods, and ancient civilizations of the Makai hung around the room, creating a mixture of colors and emotions, mostly leaving behind an ominous feeling of darkness. Or, that was how Kurama told me he had started to feel.

When I interviewed Kurama, it was the hardest of anything I had ever done. Actually, it was interviewing two; as in death Youko's and Shuichi's souls had separated. It was…no, I cannot even explain it, nor do I want to dive into such dark emotions. Forgive me, but I am not strong enough to write about Kurama.

The strangest thing I encountered upon inter- /this word is scratched out learning this information from my tentai was that none but Kurama felt so bad about the mission. Yusuke and Kuwabara had reported nothing odd when they stood outside the door to this conference room, playing their responsibilities as bodyguards perfectly.

Of course, from the strange stuttering and inserts of "er…" and "…uh" between every other sentence that came out of Yusuke's mouth during my interview with him, I can obviously deduct that the two of them were most likely messing around instead of standing as firm guards.

Kurama turned his bright emerald eyes to Akuzuki as their demonic host once again began to speak, "I understand that Koenma would like to acquire this new object of mine."

The redhead nodded, playing the part of negotiator (as it was obvious that Hiei was in no mood to negotiate…unless it involved a sword, or course) and lifted one slender hand to tuck one of his longer bangs behind his ear. "Yes, Koenma-sama has sent us to plead the importance of the history behind this artifact and its close relation to the Reikai."

Hiei had a hard time holding in a snort as Kurama used words that almost taunted Akuzuki. Of course, this was a test that the oh-so-clever fox was using to see if their host knew of the artifact he carried and the powers of it.

As I understand it, the test showed no signs of his knowledge of such a thing as the demon simply nodded and gave an encouraging smile to Kurama.

Obviously, the Fox's test had failed.

"Of course, of course!" Akuzuki replied happily as he crossed his hands and laid them on the desk. "However, it cost me the lives of many slaves and much money and time to excavate that mine for the rumor of its treasures." Akuzuki tilted his head slightly, his eyes glinting with a small flame of darkness. "I hope that Koenma-sama understands that I will not and simply can not hand over the artifact without…compensation."

Hiei caught the flame in Akuzuki's eye and the tinted tone of his voice. He knew that sort of look and the fluxing of tone. He knew it to be suggestive, lustful, and distrustful. His glare intensified, despite his (weak) efforts to hide his anger.

Kurama, however, saw a different edge of this demon. The flame in his eyes and the inference of tone led him to a similar conclusion as Hiei in the fact that he saw desire there, but Kurama leaned towards the desire for power and money.

Later, Youko told me that he believed he perceived it that way because, perhaps, he did not want to see it the way Hiei had.

"Yes, Koenma-sama has realized this," Kurama continued, his stomach churning somewhat restlessly. He pushed the uncomfortable feeling to the side and shifted gently in his seat to reach into the pocket of his lightly colored slacks and withdraw the gem I had given him.

With a certain mysterious air about him (to further entice Akuzuki, I learned) Kurama held the silver lined stone out for him to see, his slender fingers twirling it to catch the light perfectly.

He could not help his smile as Akuzuki's eyes widened slightly and turned immediately greedy, a spark of longing entering their navy depths. Still holding his soft smile, Kurama gently laid the stone on the edge of the desk, far enough away so that the demon could not yet reach it.

Akuzuki seemed to consider something for a brief moment before his longing greed won out and he reached down to one of the drawers that lined his side of the large desk. Pulling out a long chain from beneath his robes, he produced a long, multi pronged key made of a strange silver metal.

Kurama could see no more as Akuzuki leaned down to slide the key into one of the locked drawers. Several seconds passed with the quiet sounds of wood squeaking slightly and the soft sound of stone scarping wood.

When Akuzuki straightened, he held in his hands a stone box (I dare you to guess the color) about the size of his forearm and half that in height. Kurama looked upon the box with simple curiosity as he schooled his emotions perfectly.

With a happy, suggestive smile, Akuzuki slid the key into a complicated, silver lock on the box and slid the lid off once the lock had opened with a click. Inside laid the Kokushibyou, as perfect as the picture that I had shown them in my office early that day and about the size of Kurama's palm.

Hiei perked up in his seat just a bit, and Kurama gave Akuzuki a soft smile. "It is a beautiful piece of work," he murmured appreciatively and the demon before him gave a very approving smile, pushing the box towards them slightly.

"I agree, an amazing find. Now…" Akuzuki gave a brief glance at Hiei (that the fire demon once again perceived as taunting) before turning his gaze to Kurama. His eyes were smiling in a manner that suddenly made the fox extremely uncomfortable and he fidgeted in his seat.

"I think that I will happily except your offer of trade," Akuzuki began as he gleefully pulled the box back, seemingly cheerful at the exchange. Kurama began to stand when Akuzuki put the lid on the box.

"However," he said without glancing at either of them as he locked and replaced the box in its protected cabinet, "I must insist that you spend the night at my lovely home. I wish to accommodate such well paying customers to my best ability."

Hiei didn't believe it for a second. That demon's lustful eyes were locked on Kurama and the longing, greedy look that he had showered the emerald gem with was back in his eye.

_'He thinks of him as a god damn possession to own!'_ Hiei seethed as his hands balled up into fists. Kurama tried to convey a calming gaze to him, but the fire demon was no longer looking at his lover.

Akuzuki smiled happily and stood to walk around the desk. Picking up the stone, he stood before the fox, who wasn't sure how to respond. He really didn't want to spend the night in the keep…with their host, nonetheless.

"Here you are. Keep this safe until the morning," said demon offered with an overly cheerful smile as he set the jewel in Kurama's hand and wrapped the fox's slender fingers over it. He then gently laid a hand on Kurama's shoulder and made a sweeping gesture towards the door. The fox gave a weak smile and slipped the gem back into the pocket of his pants.

"Of course, Akuzuki-san. We will gladly accept your humble hospitality," the redhead finally accepted as he pulled his wits back together. Akuzuki looked to jump through the roof with happiness (which was infuriating Hiei to no end as this demon appeared so fake to him.)

"Wonderful, wonderful! And now…it is late." Akuzuki led Kurama out through the large golden doors that had marked off the conference room-like-office. Hiei came in tow, dropping his harsh glare _only_ when Kurama turned to give him an apologetic look (one that he knew would forever be meant for him alone, as he described it.)

Yusuke and Kuwabara were sitting with their backs against the wall, talking quietly (for once) to themselves. They immediately stood as the doors opened and revealed their host and the fox spirit. Yusuke raised an eyebrow at Akuzuki's hand placed on Kurama's shoulder and the ever-seething fire demon behind him. Yet the detective said nothing.

As the two in the lead passed him, both he and Kuwabara watching with a mixture of curiosity and anger, Hiei stopped beside them. With Akuzuki and Kurama still meandering down the hall, Yusuke turned to him.

"I can't believe that guy is still in one piece, Hiei," he commented rather lightly, and yet the fire demon could hear his own anger echoed in Yusuke's voice.

Kuwabara nodded, "Yeah…with Akuzuki's hands all over Kurama, we were sure you'd burn the place down by midnight."

Hiei ground his teeth in frustration. "Thank you for reminding me, Baka. Now let's go, we're spending the night here." With that he left the two standing in sudden shock and dread at this news and began following slowly after Kurama.

Yusuke's and the idiot's words had both helped and frustrated him. They helped in having a friendly agreement and because he knew that he wasn't just being overly defensive in guarding his property. And yet they frustrated him beyond just the grindings of teeth because all they did was remind him that he _couldn't_ do anything.

-o-o-o-o-

Kurama sat in his disgustingly ostentatious room, the size of which was beyond excessive. It had to be the size of half an American football field! Heavy crimson carpet (and yet the softest he'd ever felt) lined the floor of his accommodations and similarly colored mesh drapes hung from the several floor-to-ceiling windows that periodically lined two of the walls.

The redhead sat upon the velvet-cushioned seat of the room's cherry wood vanity. He sat, staring at his reflection in the golden lined mirror as he slowly ran a brush through his long, red hair. Through the mirror he gazed at the far wall.

There sat a long wooden chest, the latch laid open and slightly rusted from the obvious old age. Its intricate carvings suggested half a millennia since its initial construction…Probably from the late Stone period of the Makai, in which the underground civilization of earth demons spent much time creating priceless treasures and antiques.

The whole room was filled with artifacts from all _four_ worlds, some dating back thousands of years. The dresser near the trunk came from the Fire Demons of east Makai, and an ancient Egyptian chair of Ningenkai sat in the far corner.

Lavishing tables of the red cherry wood supported statues of jade, ruby, diamond, marble, and many others. Kurama, at first, had been tempted by the contents of his room, being a famous thief and all. Only after he had examined many of them had he suddenly found the room brazen and showy.

Against the far wall, only about thirty feet from him (and they used to tease _me_ at the size of _my_ bedroom!) and draped in heavy black and red comforters and sheets, was a huge canopy bed. Black and crimson mesh hangings wrapped around its frame, surrounding it. But the size, like everything else in the room, was sickeningly flamboyant. At least ten people could have fit in the bed that was meant for the single redhead.

Kurama sighed as he set the brush down. Perhaps Hiei could be persuaded to keep him company in such a large, lonely bed.

Even as the thought crossed his mind there was a soft knock on his door. He stood, calmly placing the wooden box that now held their bargaining chip into the vanity's single draw, and crossed the room.

There were three doors in his room; one to a large balcony overlooking the beautiful courtyard (again emphasizing on the excessiveness,) one that lead into a dark hallway Kurama didn't feel like exploring (so he set necessary warning traps and locked the door,) and the one upon which the knocking came from. This one led to the hallway that Akuzuki had escorted the four down, giving each of them the four rooms next to each other (which wasn't that great, as each room was separated by a hundred fifty or more feet)

Padding in silence with his bare feet, Kurama came to the dark wood door (a single door for once – Yusuke had almost danced at the discovery of such) and pushed the handle down. Pulling it open without so much as a sound, he revealed a certain fire demon sulking in the hall.

Hiei was garbed in a pair of black, satin pajamas that seemed very ningen for Akuzuki, a demon, to own. And yet he had given them all a set (each a different color – this youkai had too much time on his hands.) Kurama gazed at him, his eyes roaming over the fire demon's form.

The loose satin clung to the fire demon in ways that hinted at his muscular chest, lean waist, and strong thighs. Kurama gave a smile at the fire demon's distrusting eye even as Hiei grew impatient.

"Hn. Stop staring at me, you sex-driven fox," Hiei growled as he pushed past Kurama and into the room. The kitsune couldn't help it as his smile grew and he slowly closed the door, turning the lock until it clicked.

"Sorry, my love," Kurama apologized as he slowly traced the steps Hiei had taken over to the bed, where he now sat, glancing around the room in anything but interest. He turned his gaze over to the fox to see him walking purposefully slow and suggestive.

The kitsune came to one of the posts of his canopy bed and leaned against it. "You just look so good in black silk."

"It's satin, you baka," Hiei growled in reply, though there was no harshness in his voice. Kurama smiled softly and moved around the pole to climb onto the bed beside Hiei, leaning back slightly as he let his legs dangle over the edge.

"My mistake," the fox replied as he supported himself on his elbows, giving his fire demon a loving look as he once again took in Hiei's lean form. The fire demon snorted.

"Yeah, well, don't make it again." Kurama chuckled but gave a nod as Hiei flopped back, lying next to the kitsune. His crimson eyes turned to his lover. "You don't look so bad yourself, Fox."

Kurama glanced down at his own light peach nightclothes and smiled thankfully at Hiei. Rolling onto his side, he wrapped an arm around the fire demon's waist.

"That's so sweet of you, Koi," he murmured in a seductive voice as he inched closer, his breath brushing over Hiei's ear. The fire demon tried not to take notice but an unstoppable shiver ran down his spine.

"Would you stop calling me that?" he asked gruffly and Kurama smirked, inching a little closer. Hiei's eyes narrowed suspiciously, but he continued to stare up into the canopy top.

"But are you not my beloved?" Kurama asked softly before he leaned forward the last inch and licked the ring of Hiei's ear. The fire demon shivered almost violently and his cheeks tinted with the lightest of blushes. Kurama smiled as he moved the arm wrapped around Hiei's waist, down some to wrap around his hips.

"I don't think anyone but my beloved would react like that…" he whispered as he blew on the fire demon's ear. He could practically feel Hiei trying to hold back a moan as the youkai's breathing quickened slightly.

"And I don't think anyone but my beloved…" Kurama whispered seductively as he moved his arm over Hiei's hips and down past his thighs, brushing against the fire demon in a most arousing way. This time Hiei could not hold back the moan and he arched his hips some, "…would react quite like this."

"Yes…" Hiei whispered breathlessly as Kurama moved his hand back up to the fire demon's hip, brushing against him once more. "But you don't have to call me such…"

"Oh?" Kurama pulled away, sitting up slightly. Hiei almost didn't bite back the groan in time as the warmth drew away. "And yet your name is Hiei and you allow me to call you that. Should I stop referring to you as such, also, oh Ye-Who-Hath-No-Name?"

"Just…" Hiei paused, stuck on what to say before he gave up and instead released a feral growl. His hand shot out so fast it blurred to the human eye and grabbed the back of Kurama's neck. With a yank and a yelp, Kurama was brought down into a crushing kiss.

"You talk too much, you damn fox," Hiei muttered between Kurama's lips as the kiss turned passionate. Now, of the more recordings of this, I expect most of you think I should not be writing such, but it is my duty to write down the occurrences of that night and the following morning along with that which is given to me by the victims of this case (and neither Kurama nor Hiei are what I might call prude.)

But you needn't fear. For the next thing to happen was not what you might think, and instead consisted of a light knock at the door.

Hiei growled as Kurama gave a sigh, his shoulders slumping mid kiss. For the first two knocks, the fire demon simply refused to release his hold on the kitsune's neck and side lock, instead commanding him to ignore it.

On the third knock and the soft call of the fox's name, Kurama managed to pull away. With a bit of a breathless air about his voice, he called out, "Who is it?" whilst still lying atop Hiei.

"Akuzuki."

Hiei's reaction was immediate as his eyes grew icy cold and his heated blush turned to one of anger. Kurama winced as the hold on the back of his neck tightened to the point of possible bruising.

"Hiei…" Kurama wasn't sure where to begin…or what to say for that matter. He knew that Akuzuki was potentially dangerous. He knew what the demon most likely wanted.

And yet, he couldn't risk their mission.

"You should leave, Hiei," he finally whispered apologetically as yet another knock (this one more persistent) came from the door.

The fire demon's grip tightened and he stared into Kurama's green eyes, some of that coldness sinking into the fox. "Don't be an idiot. It's after midnight, Kurama! What the hell do you think he's doing here? I'll tell you what he's doing; he wants you as a fucking possession; another part of his collection."

Kurama sighed as Akuzuki called to him. "I'll be right there," he called over his shoulder but returned to looking into his lover's crimson eyes. "I love you, Hiei. I would never betray you, or do anything to hurt you. I won't do anything now."

Hiei's eyes narrowed yet he finally released the fox's neck. But as the fire demon sat up, he caught the fox's shoulder in a painful grip. "I will hold you to your word, Kurama. I trust you, not him. I forbid you from doing anything against the word you've promised. Screw that damn toddler, Kurama. If he forces you, you throw the mission to hell."

(As I have limited writing room and this report is to be as legitimate as possible I will be wisely ignoring the insult to my persons)

Kurama blinked slightly before he gave a comforting smile and nodded. Hiei sighed as he released his fox's shoulder and leapt off the bed. Before Kurama had even reached the door, Hiei had rumpled the covers, left through the balcony door, and was back in his own room, seething.

Akuzuki smiled ear to ear as Kurama opened the door. His navy blue eyes glanced the fox up and down, most likely seeing much of what Kurama had seen through Hiei's silky outfit (and perhaps a bit more, as the fox was so earnest in admitting.)

"What can I do for you, Akuzuki-san?" Kurama asked in a feigned voice of tiredness. His host's smile faded some and he tilted his head, long black hair now loose of its tie fell over his shoulder like a cascading waterfall.

"Oh, did I wake you?" he asked in an apologetic and yet pouting tone. Kurama smiled softly as he opened the door further for Akuzuki to step past him and into the room.

"Not entirely. I was just drifting off," he answered, glancing over to the bed and smiling when he saw that Hiei had thrown the covers back as if someone had just climbed out of bed.

"You sleep with your light on?" Akuzuki asked as his eyes drew to the two large chandeliers (almost identical to the one in his office) that hung from the ceiling, both lit with a soft white light. Kurama smiled as he rubbed the back of his head in an embarrassed manner, covering the only clue to his lie.

"Well…" he began with a sheepish smile. "I don't often trust places I don't know."

Akuzuki practically beamed. "And the exact reason I have come!" he exclaimed cheerfully. "Come, come, Kurama! In this late hour I wish to show you this keep and all it's wonders!"

Kurama blinked, not evening having to feign tiredness to appear completely clueless. "Uh…" he paused as he looked at the demon standing before him, all but rocking on the balls of his feet.

"Akzuki-san…it is very late," he began as he tried to put on an apologetic smile. "And I am very tired…"

The demon's reaction was immediate as his lower lip dropped into a pout and he gave sad puppy eyes towards the fox. "But you will not have time to see them tomorrow…and some of the wonders only show at night!"

Kurama looked at the demon with the utmost want for him to leave. Only…he knew that he couldn't risk displeasing the damn guy since the trade was still not complete. With a sigh, he nodded.

Akuzuki literally jumped with joy and a smile spread from ear to ear. Kurama opened his mouth to object to staying out too late but before he could even consider it, Akuzuki was pulling him over to the dresser and throwing open several drawers. Without so much as asking (which even _I _know is against demon code) Akuzuki turned and grabbed Kurama's shirt, pulling it up and over the fox's head, giving him no choice but to raise his arms.

With as much zealous, he picked out a green silk Chinese top and threw it over Kurama's head, pulling it down and brushing his hands over the fox's skin in doing so. The redhead shivered involuntarily.

If it was meant on purpose, no sign of it was shown as Akuzuki pulled the shirt all the way down, the hem hanging around Kurama's thighs, and started buttoning the top. As he went back to the dresser for a pair of black pants, Kurama grabbed his wrist gently.

"I can dress myself, Akuzuki-san," he said with a soft (if not totally fake) smile and grabbed the pair of pants. Akuzuki looked puzzled for a minute before he nodded and closed the drawers, stepping back and staring at Kurama.

The fox demon, who realized that he was not going to be able to get the demon to turn around or leave the room, and not entirely sure if Akuzuki was faking his ignorance, pulled his pajamas off and slipped into the slacks.

Luckily for him, he was wearing boxers.

"What a strange thing," Akuzuki said once Kurama had pulled the pants on. The fox looked up, a curious note in his eyes as the demon moved closer. Again without permission, Akuzuki reached out and grabbed the waistline of Kurama's pants.

"Wha-?" Kurama's most immediate reaction was to move backwards, but Akuzuki was holding fast to his pants and he seemed to not be going anywhere. Instead, the demon slid a hand into his slacks (causing Kurama to blush immensely from both anger and invasion of privacy.)

"Akuzuki-san!" Kurama exclaimed as he grabbed the demon's wrist and pulled his hand back out. However, this only led to the showing that Akuzuki was grabbing Kurama's boxers.

Blinking at the fox, he glanced back down at the cloth between his hands. "Why do you wear shorts when you are wearing pants? Are you cold, Kurama?"

"Uh…" For the first time in many years, Kurama was suddenly speechless, his mind completely bogged down with everything that had happened in the last minute. With a sudden shake of his head (more for clearing his mind then answering Akuzuki) Kurama finally replied, "No, not at all. It's…more of a traditional thing."

Trying to avoid hinting at his human living (even though many Reikai workers are, in fact, human) he randomly picked the first thing that came to his mind. Akuzuki seemed to consider this with a curious look before he gave a shrug and released Kurama's boxers.

The fox gave a stressed sigh and fixed his pants as Akuzuki started towards the door, once again merry. Kurama frowned as he realized that the demon was heading to the door that led to the dark hallway.

"Why are we going that way, Akuzuki-san?" he asked as he started to follow him. With his host nearing the door, Kurama quickly pulled back the plantation that he had set up for traps. As Akuzuki opened the door, the last of the plants had retracted into their seeds.

"It's the quickest way," the eccentric demon replied as he glanced over his shoulder and threw a wink at Kurama. The fox gave a mental moan as Akuzuki disappeared into the darkness before the door.

He was not going to enjoy this.

Kurama gracefully stepped into the darkness beyond, immediately assaulted by the loss of one of his primary senses. He outstretched a hand until he felt the smooth stone of the wall and began tracing his way down.

"Akuzuki-san?" he called softly when he soon lost track of his host and any other sense of direction. Although it hadn't been long, he knew that the tunnel had started down hill and also began to turn slowly.

He nearly cut off his host's head by accident when a hand slid into his. A soft chuckle sounded behind him, right next to his ear. The damn demon was lucky the kitsune had held back his Rose Whip at the last second.

"Jumpy, Kurama?" the voice asked in a low whisper and Kurama shivered as a feeling more dark than any tunnel ran down his spine.

"No," he answered once he had calmed his pounding heart and evened his breathing. Trying exceedingly hard to keep anger out of his voice, he answered, "Just a bit lost in this darkness."

"Oh," came the soft, not-at-all-surprised voice of Akuzuki and Kurama felt the grip on his hand tighten as the demon began rubbing his thumb over the fox's skin. "Let me lead you, then. These tunnels are like a maze."

Kurama only nodded, not daring to speak for the anger (or the multiple words I shouldn't write) that might come out. Akuzuki moved around him and began pulling him slowly down the long hallways, turning down a new tunnel every once in a while.

It was at least ten minutes of silent walking down into the earth (with Akuzuki still rubbing his thumb over Kurama's hand – the latter quickly loosing his patience) before Akuzuki spoke in a prideful voice, "Here we are."

A soft gold and blue tinged light was beginning to illuminate the tunnel as they came upon one last turn. With the light growing brighter, they rounded the corner.

Kurama gasped as dazzling light and beauty assaulted his eyes as the two stood before a cavern. The size was comparable to a sports arena, at least six hundred feet in a rough circular shape. He could see other smaller caves through a large arched entranceway at the far end.

The two stood on a platform like ledge of the cavern's cliff like walls. Far below them was a lake that spanned the entire floor, it's crystal blue waters calm but for the occasional drip of the stalactites hanging from the cave's ceiling some hundred feet above.

Reflected in the lake's glassy surface were the walls of the cavern and their glowing and sparkling treasure. Hundreds upon thousands of jewels and ores of metals leaked through the walls, creating an effect much like a sunglass window in a multi-million dollar church.

Kurama stared in awe as the different jewels faded in their sparkling light, some growing brighter as others dimmed. He watched in fascination, as there was no light source to change their peculiar dimming.

"Do you like it?" Kurama was interrupted by a soft, whispered voice behind him. Hot breath tickled his ear and an unpleasant shiver ran down his spine as he glanced over his shoulder at Akuzuki's illuminated face.

"How-"

"Magic," Akuzuki replied in a voice of one who has seen a hundred times and is yet still awed. He looked at the stones, leaning forward so that his chin was mere centimeters off Kurama's shoulder. "I'm sure you know that a great sorcerer built this keep. These stones glow with his youkai energy, the magic that made his powers work. This place supports the entire keep with its energy."

_'But that magic should have died when he did...' _Kurama did not reply nor comment on the mystery as he returned his gaze to the sparkling cavern and the beautiful lake beneath it. It was several more minutes of silence before he felt the soft skin of Akuzuki's cheek lean against his neck as the demon rested his chin on the fox's shoulder. Chilling fingers ran up his arm, leaving shivers in their wake as the other hand found a place entangled in Kurama's hair.

"Do you like it?" the demon asked once again. Kurama was unsure if he was referring to the lake or the touches that were still running up and down his arm (which was too bad, as the answers were extremely different to those two questions.) With a sudden pull, he stepped away from his host, turning to face him.

"Akuzuki-san-" Kurama began in a warning tone when lips were suddenly pressed against his own. Hands gripped at his upper arms, pulling him closer in an unbreakable hold.

The fox, eyes wide and mind suddenly stunned, came to his senses and tried to squirm out of the demon's grasp. When Akuzuki finally let go, the fox almost stumbled over the edge of the platform they stood on from mere momentum.

His breathing was erratic as he stared at Akuzuki in a mix of unidentifiable emotions, most of which revolved around surprise. The demon smiled as he stood, arms clasped in front of him. He took a step forward and Kurama moved back, his heel feeling nothing but air.

"Akuzuki-san, please!" he retorted in a warning voice, but the demon only smiled and drew closer. With nowhere to go, Kurama was eventually enwrapped in a tight grip.

Akuzuki encircled his arms around Kurama's waist and began pulling him away from the edge. The fox, who was learning once again that it was very difficult to break the demon's hold, struggled slightly, trying to protest the closeness.

"You're so beautiful," Akuzuki whispered as he moved one arm up Kurama's back to gently take hold of his neck, the hand entangled in crimson red hair. The fox tried to move backwards but the grip on his neck only brought him towards the demon.

"Akuzuki, stop!" he tried to reason, the command coming out as a low shout, which echoed around the cave. The demon paused less than an inch from Kurama's mouth, staring into his deep green eyes.

"Why?" he asked incredulously before pressing his lips to Kurama's once again. Having the bigger form than the fox, Akzuki easily pushed Kurama down onto his knees and then onto his back. It didn't matter how much the fox struggled or kicked, he couldn't seem to break free.

"Stop!" Kurama managed to shout as he pushed his hands against Akuzuki's chest. The demon gasped slightly as he was torn from the fox's lips. Breathing heavily, he smiled down possessively at Kurama, who was glaring back angrily, having taken Hiei's advice. Screw the mission, he was not going to get raped for Koenma's sake.

(I take no offense of this: I would under no circumstance have ever punished Kurama for self-defense)

"I am not interested, Akuzuki!" Kurama growled as he tried to sit up, only to be pushed back down by a heavy arm. The fox gasped as he hit the back of his head against the stone floor, his vision swimming.

"Oh, but I am, Kurama," Akuzuki whispered as he leaned down close to the fox. "In fact…I don't think I want you to leave…"

Kurama's eyes narrowed at the demon above him, who had begun running a hand through his crimson hair. Akuzuki smiled and leaned in closer, his lips brushing against Kurama's as he spoke, "I don't think I like the trade anymore."

"Wha-" Kurama's outraged shout was cut off as Akuzuki stole yet another kiss from him, this time taking advantage of the fox's shout and slipping his tongue into his mouth. The fox gagged slightly as he struggled, trying to shout against Akuzuki's lips and yet getting nothing but muffled noise.

When the demon's tongue started running over the top of his mouth, Kurama kicked upwards. Akuzuki, who had been pressed down on top of the fox, bucked slightly and pulled away as a result. His grin was sickening as he licked his lips.

Kurama glared at him with as much anger as he dared let out and Akuzuki laughed. "Now, now," the demon began, "I think you should stop resisting me." The raven-haired demon leaned in once again so that his mouth was against Kurama's ear. "It might endanger your mission, Kurama."

The fox shoved against Akuzuki, pushing him backwards as he laughed in a manner that sent more shivers through Kurama's body. Cold, angry green eyes glared at him, narrowed but surprise. Akuzuki sat up, straddling Kurama's hips and stared down into those emerald orbs.

"Oh, yes, Kurama. I know who you are," he replied as he placed a painful grip on both of Kurama's upper arms and leaned forward until he was supporting his weight on the redhead, pinning the fox to the ground. "And I think I want a new deal for the Kokushibyou…"

The fox's eyes narrowed into an icy fury that was rarely ever seen on Kurama. It only brought forth another shiver-worthy laugh as Akuzuki leaned down, licking Kurama's cheek. "I think you would do perfectly…"

"Get off me!" the kitsune shouted as he tore his cheek away from Akuzuki's tongue and bucked, trying to shove the demon off of him. With a beyond evil smirk, the demon released his arms and sat back up to straddle the fox's hips once again.

"So the rumors are true..." Kurama looked back at the demon as he hovered a foot from his face. "Youko Kurama has turned human..." The demon smirked maliciously, "A fox would never turn down an opportunity to screw someone..."

Kurama's icy cold eyes glared back in defiance as he answered with a sneer, "Even _I_ had some taste, Akuzuki."

The demon laughed as he pulled away, still smiling as he replied, "And poor taste at that, if rumors are to be held in any esteem." Kurama was unsure of the exact meaning of Akuzuki's words, but he had a feeling that Hiei had been right. The demon had been taunting them, knowing of their relationship.

"Now let me see…Yes, I do believe you would be a very worthy gem to trade…" Akuzuki slowly and, deliberately bushing his hands over Kurama's thighs and loins, climbed off the fox, whose glare had intensified when he was pulled from his thoughts.

"Now, now, my dear Kurama, there can be no lying on the floor," he said as he pulled Kurama up by his wrist, his grip tightening to make the kitsune bite his lip in pain. The fox ripped his arm free as soon as possible as Akuzuki turned away from him.

"I think you ought to have a talk with your teammates. After all, how would it look for Koenma's smartest tentai to make decisions without consulting the others?"

The fox stood, his stance defensive, as he held his wrist in one hand (a painful bruise already forming from Akuzuki's tight grip.) He glared at the demon in such hatred that the raven-haired host once again laughed, the sound beginning to drive Kurama crazy.

"Now come," Akuzuki commanded, strolling forward and grabbing at Kurama's other wrist, his grip tight but not so much as to bruise. The kitsune tried to pull away but found himself once again unable to.

He didn't understand it. It was as if…as if he could do nothing to Akuzuki to harm him.

"Release me!" he growled as he once again tried to pull his arm back. The demon was starting to drag him through the tunnels once again.

"You should not waste your strength, Kurama. There is nothing you can do to me," the demon taunted in a nonchalant voice, only adding to Kurama's anger as he once again pulled at the grip on his arm.

"I would not struggle if I were you," Akuzuki's tone changed to a harsher command and he stopped walking, turning abruptly. Kurama almost slammed into him as he stepped close to the fox. With a purely evil smile, the demon brushed the back of his hand against the kitsune's cheek. "If I am forced to hurt you…I think it will be much harder to convince your little demon lover to let you go."

'_So he has known...and he's been taunting Hiei by playing with me!' _Kurama growled, turned his head away from the hand. So Akuzuki was aware of everything, then. "Hiei would never accept such a thing. And neither would I!"

Akuzuki smiled. "Ah, yes…Kurama, the great fox thief who was responsible for the death of all of Ningenkai…"

Kurama's eyes widened at the demon's words and his breath caught in his chest. '_Oh god…'_ he whispered as his thoughts sped through his mind and his stomach churned,_ 'He's going to use the Kokushibyou on Ningenkai if I don't submit… I-Inari-sama, what do I do!'_

Akuzuki smiled as he watched the fox's skin pale and his eyes widen, loosing their anger to be replaced by horror and regret. He knew what would happen; he knew he had no choice. Akuzuki smiled and slipped his hand once more around Kurama's slim wrist.

"Much better. Now come, you should inform your teammates of the change in plans. They will, of course need time to... object and come to terms with the truth."

Kurama did not reply as he was pulled through the tunnels once again by his demonic host turned captor. Hundreds of thoughts of uncertainty, doubt, and guilt ran through his mind. There was no other choice. He could do nothing else but accept the demon's proposal!

Within what seemed like seconds but felt like hours and was most likely only a matter of minutes, Akuzuki was beside the wooden door to Kurama's room, light still issuing forth from beneath it.

Before Kurama, who was lost in thought and numb with shock, could object, he found himself being pressed softly against the smooth stone wall, Akuzuki's body pushing against his. His arm, the one still gripped by the demon, was roughly pressed against the wall above his head.

Akuzuki leaned forward, not far from the fox's face as his free hand began to trace up the kitsune's collarbone and around his throat. It trailed light fingers up Kurama's neck, past his ear to wrap in his hair.

The fox looked into those navy ocean eyes with fear and uncertainty, trying to hide both and failing. Akuzuki smirked. "I expect you in my office by four, Kurama. You have one hour to inform your teammates."

Giving no time for Kurama to answer or do anything, the demon pressed his lips once more to the fox's. A tongue was shoved down Kurama's throat as Akuzuki turned the kiss fierce. With no warning, he pulled the kitsune forward some before slamming him back into the wall, thrusting his hips against the fox.

Kurama bit back a whimper as demonic canines bit into his lip, causing blood to slowly seep into his mouth even as Akuzuki released his hair. The hand traced down Kurama's side until it came to his hips. The fox tried to hold back an involuntary and unwanted moan that came out as a sort of sob when Akuzuki's hand gabbed him.

"St-stop!" Kurama whispered, his resolve broken and confidence gone. The command came out as much more of a plea and only further lead to his own breaking. "N-no…"

Akuzuki smirked triumphantly as he pulled away and released the fox's arm and crotch. "One hour, Fox." With that, he turned and disappeared into the darkness. His light footsteps soon faded away.

Kurama sagged against the wall, falling to the floor as he collapsed beside the stone. A sob wracked his body as a single tear fought its way past his rapidly dissolving defenses.

"N-no…"

-o-o-o-o-

Hiei knew immediately that something was wrong as he woke to the soft sound of sobbing. Sitting in the window, his eyes snapped open from his light sleep and he sat up.

None other could have woken him with such a soft crying…but the jagan knew that signature energy, knew that voice and that troubled soul. Hiei jumped from the window, landing on the soft, dark green carpet.

With narrowed eyes, he listened in perfect silence. There it was again! Hiei turned to the right and furled his brow. The sound was coming from behind the wooden wall. Moving forward, he pressed his ear against the wall.

Crimson eyes widened as he heard his own name, whispered through a broken sob. He pulled back and stared at the wall. "Kurama?" he called. He heard no reply and the sobs suddenly quieted.

"Kurama!" he shouted louder as he pounded a fist against the wall. Fury and worry ran through his veins as he placed his palms flat against the wall and began moving them slowly over the wood. He closed his eyes as he felt the grain of ever slat of wood.

_'There.'_ Hiei opened his eyes as his hands ran over a separation in the wood that should not have been there. He saw nothing out of place through his eyes, but knew the door was there.

He pushed on the wood. Nothing happened. With narrowed eyes angry at the wall for keeping him from his beloved, he slammed his fist against the wall. The split popped open, the perfectly camouflaged door separating from the wood and swinging open.

Hiei's eyes widened as he stepped into the darkness beyond. He had entered a long, pitch-black tunnel. To his right, and a dozen yards away, was Kurama, collapsed and leaning against the wall. Hiei approached the fox, using the light issuing forth from under a door to see his beloved. His red hair was disheveled and his crystal green eyes red as tears fell down his cheeks.

The fire demon wasn't sure how long he had been there, but he had a feeling that it wasn't very long. He appeared at Kurama's side in the blink of an eye and knelt down beside his lover.

"Kurama?" he asked as he laid a gentle hand on the fox's shoulder. Kurama's green eyes were staring at him in sorrow so full that Hiei was afraid his heart might snap in too just from the sight. "What's wrong?"

"Oh, Hiei!" Kurama gasped through another sob that wracked his body. He pushed forward slightly to wrap his arms around the fire demon's neck. Hiei, surprised, slowly raised his arms to enwrap Kurama in a return hug.

The fox was sobbing against him, trying hard to contain his tears and yet failing miserably. Slowly, Hiei began to rub his hands in circles on Kurama's back, shushing him gently as he laid his cheek against the top of the fox's head.

"Wh-what do I do? I-I'm never going to see y-you again!" Kurama whispered hoarsely as another sob shook his body. Hiei blinked, frowning deeply as he gently pulled away from Kurama, forcing the fox to look into his eyes.

"What are you talking about?" Hiei's eyes narrowed. "What did he do to you?"

Kurama just shook his head, tears falling faster. Hiei's frown turned fierce and he gently moved his hand down to Kurama's legs, turning him so that he could slip his arms under the fox's knees.

Shifting his own footing, he gathered Kurama into his arms and stood, carrying the fox bridal style. The kitsune sobbed silently against Hiei and clutched at his black clothing.

Hiei, worried at his lover's strange reaction, set the fox on his bed, pulling the covers back over him as he clutched at the demon's sleeve. The fire demon bent down as Kurama's mumbled sobs became unintelligible.

"Shh, I'm going to be right back," he whispered as he leaned down and kissed Kurama's forehead. "I will be back."

Kurama nodded and dropped his hold on Hiei's clothing. He buried his head into the pillow as more sobs wracked his body. The fire demon slowly backed away from the bed before he turned and flitted out of the room, closing the door behind him.

-o-o-o-o-

Knock.

Yusuke's nose twitched.

_Knock._

His eyes fluttered open as he groaned, rolled over, and closed them again.

**Knock.**

"Leave me alone!" he muttered as he swatted at an invisible foe. He rolled and moaned. "Just…five more minutes…"

KNOCK.

"What!" Yusuke shouted as he shot up in his bed. Drowsily awake, he shook his head slightly and rubbed his eyes as he looked around the room.

**KNOCK KNOCK**.

"I'm coming, I'm coming…" Yusuke muttered as he threw the thick covers off of him and swung his muscular legs over the edge of the bed. Still thick with sleep, he padded over to the door and quietly flipped the lock, opening it.

A very strange sight greeted his bleary eyes and he shook his head, wondering if he were dreaming. Hiei stood before him, his eyes impatient and sick with worry.

"About time, Detective!" Hiei growled fiercely as he stepped into the room, hands shoved deep into his pockets. Yusuke made an overly inviting gesture as he rolled his eyes.

"Come right in, why don't 'cha," he replied in an annoyed tone as Hiei turned to him. "What are you doing here, Hiei? Shouldn't you be with K'rama, or something?"

Hiei growled briefly at the unhidden hint but ignored it. "Something's wrong with him, Detective."

Yusuke blinked once before he was fully awake and all but gripping Hiei's collar. "What do you mean, 'Something's wrong with him'?"

"I…" Hiei looked away for a brief moment. "I think Akuzuki did something to him. He's...he's completely lost in despair..."

"Hell no!" Yusuke shouted out and rushed towards the door, Hiei running after him at his sudden movement. The detective sprinted to the left, towards Kurama's room but Hiei grabbed his shirt and pushed him the other way.

"My room, Yusuke. I've got to get Kuwabara." Yusuke nodded as the two went different directions. Yusuke burst into the room, managing (miraculously) to remain somewhat quiet.

He easily located Kurama, who was curled in on himself in the fire demon's bed. Within seconds, Yusuke was beside him, a calming hand placed on his forehead. The kitsune sobbed silently against the teen and Yusuke realized that he was not asleep.

"Kurama?" he asked softly as he brushed the kitsune's bangs out of the way. "What's wrong, man?"

The fox sobbed in silence for a long moment before he answered in a voice so broken that Yusuke did not know how to react, "Y-yusuke…what do I d-do? Akuzuki…has revoked the trade…"

Yusuke blinked. That is definitely not what was bringing Kurama to body-wracking tears.

"…and demanded…m-me instead…" Another sob broke Kurama's sentence, but Yusuke understood it perfect. His chocolate brown eyes opened wide and he stared at Kurama in horror.

"If I don't...If I don't g-go...he'll destroy N-ningenkai..." The whisper was hurt and desperate, lost in a dark hallway with no light for hope.

"No." The word had not been a plea like Kurama had whispered, it was not stunned like he would expect. The fox seemed to finally come to his senses as Yusuke spoke the one harsh, commanding word.

"Don't even think about it, Kurama," Yusuke ordered sharply. He grabbed the fox's shoulders and pulled him up into a sitting position, shaking him some. "I won't allow you to do such a thing!"

"Wh-what else do I do? What else can I do?" Kurama asked in a miserable voice, but it held less despair than before, his mind beginning to register how idiotic he was acting. Crying and sobbing in his lover's bed would get him nowhere.

Yusuke lifted his hold on Kurama's shoulders and grabbed either side of his face, forcing those green eyes to look at him. "I may not be the 'strategist' you thought I once was, but I still say we go and fucking steal it."

At these words, the fox seemed to finally break from his despaired and lost mind. After a long moment of staring into those chocolate brown eyes, Kurama nodded and slowly began to smile, though it still seemed sad. As Hiei and Kuwabara entered the room, Kurama was silent, his eyes now holding more anger and hope than despair, and only an occasional sob now shook his body.

"Kurama?" Hiei asked cautiously, coming to his side. The fox's lips formed a sad smile but he nodded, practically tackling Hiei to pull him into a hug.

"I'm so sorry, Hiei…so sorry. I should have listened to you," he repeated those words over again, shaking his head that he had buried against Hiei's neck. The fire demon, at a slight loss of words, could only hug him back.

"What happened, Kurama?" Kuwabara asked, watching the two curiously. Hiei pulled away as Kurama's eyes fell on Yusuke before they glanced down. The raven-haired teen took up his part on the cue.

"Akuzuki is refusing to trade the Kokushibyou for that gem we brought. And now he's demanding Kurama instead," he stated as the kitsune's gaze stuck fast to the floor.

Kuwabara blinked as the situation slowly sunk into his mind while Hiei immediately started. The temperature in the room tripled at least as his body began radiating anger through heat. Yusuke had to grab a hold on his shoulders to keep him from charging out the door to go and kill the demon who dared move in on his territory.

"Hold it, Hiei…" Yusuke whispered calmingly, blocking the fire demon's path. Kurama glanced over at Hiei, his eyes sorrowful but almost love sick. Yusuke leaned in so that the fire demon alone could hear him. "Don't do this. He needs you; you know that."

Hiei clenched his teeth and balled his fists, cursing the fact that he knew Yusuke was right. With a growl, he turned and went back over to Kurama, plopping down next to him with a huff. His crimson eyes softened some as the fox slid his hand gently into Hiei's squeezing it lightly. Taking a deep breath, Hiei turned and brushed a strand of Kurama's hair behind his ear.

"It'll be okay, Kurama. I won't let him have what's mine," Hiei whispered as he brought his hand to cup Kurama's cheek. The fox demon leaned into the touch, closing his eyes.

"We need a plan," Yusuke started as Kuwabara glanced away from the two and over to the raven-haired detective. "We've gotta get that damn object."

"…Four." The others turned to look at Kurama, who had lowered Hiei's hand, still holding it in both of his own, and who was now staring at them. "I have until four to make my decision."

Kuwabara glanced down at a watch around his wrist. "Shit, that only leaves us with forty-two minutes!"

Hiei growled at him. "Then we have forty two minutes to come up with a plan to steal it. I suggest we start thinking."

-o-o-o-o-

Akuzuki sat humming softly to himself at his desk. His hands folded neatly on the wooden top, he watched the second hand of the clock tick by in a slow and steady beat.

His eyes never left the clock as the minute hand moved closer to the high twelve. Idly twiddling his thumbs as he cheerfully waited for four, he leaned back and placed his hands behind his head.

"Oh, Happy day…" he muttered with a smile as the minute hand clicked another minute passed. Only three more to go.

He glanced up as the doorknob to his office began to turn. The soft squeal of metal sounded as the handle was turned down to its full extent. The wooden door began to push open, the slowness peaking Akuzuki's excitement (In more ways than one, as I was told (more information than I needed to learn))

Kurama pushed the door open the rest of the way. As he gently closed it behind him, he kept his eyes averted to the ground and his back pressed against the door, both hands behind him still on the handle.

"Ah, Kurama," Akuzuki stood and walked over to said kitsune, minding his lower regions. He walked up to the fox and placed his hands on the kitsune's shoulders.

"I see you've made your choice…Shall we?" he asked, motioning to a door that had been missed earlier by the fox spirit. Kurama had no doubt as to where it led but he resisted the pull Akuzuki was applying to his arm.

"You will give me the Kokushibyou to return to Koenma. I will submit nothing to you until it is in his hands." Kurama's eyes were icy cold and otherwise steeled against all emotion.

Akuzuki raised a single eyebrow as his grip tightened some on the kitsune's shoulder. "Are you really in a position to demand such a thing, Fox?"

Kurama's eyes narrowed ever so slightly but he showed no other reaction. "Will you risk letting me go?"

Akuzuki's eyes grew cold at this and he gripped Kurama's shoulder painfully. He drew closer, his teeth clenched. "Do not push your luck, Kitsune."

"Oh? I don't believe I'm 'pushing' anything…" Kurama growled in reply as he moved his hand and ran it up Akuzuki's clothed thigh. "Unless it's this, of course."

The demon gasped and released Kurama's shoulder. He braced himself against the wall, his arm near Kurama's cheek as the other hand lowered down to Kurama's wrist.

"Stop." The hissed command was angry and he pulled Kurama's hand away from his groin. "Keep your hands off of me unless I command you or grant you allowance, you insolent brat!"

Kurama's head snapped to the side as Akuzuki backhanded him. His cheek was red and stung as he slowly evened out his gaze back to the demon. Icy cold eyes stared defiantly at Akuzuki, having changed none and the demon eventually sighed, irritated.

"You will uphold your end of the bargain first. Lay with me this morning and your friends may take their prize," Akuzuki demanded but Kurama shook his head.

"I will do no such thing until Lord Koenma has in his possession the Kokushibyou." Kurama kept his determination strong in his voice and eyes and Akuzuki eventually gave an angry growl.

"Very well. Your teammates may leave immediately with the artifact." The demon released Kurama's wrist and angrily padded over to the desk, bending down to unlock the cabinet once more.

"Here," he growled as he pulled the box out, unlocked it and took out the Kokushibyou, holding it by its long silver chain. He tossed it to Kurama, who caught it as Akuzuki walked around the desk and back towards the kitsune. He stopped when he looked over to the fox. "What do you think you're doing?"

Kurama paused in sliding the chain over his neck. He glanced up at Akuzuki before sliding the rest of the chain over his neck so that the Kokushibyhou hung as a pendent on his chest.

"I will be taking it the Kokushibyou back to Lord Koenma," he replied in a calm, steady voice. His eyes widened however, when a fist was slammed into the wall beside him, the stone cracking not an inch from the side of his face.

"You are staying here, Kurama. You have no other choice. Stay here and the Kokushibyou goes to Koenma or leave without it," Akuzuki barked in a demanding voice. Although Kurama showed no sign of wavering or fear, he prepared himself to be struck once again.

There was a long moment of silent, defiant staring before Kurama lowered his head slightly. "Very well. I will remain here."

"Very good. And from now on I expect you to refer to me as 'My Lord' as all other servants in this keep are instructed," Akuzuki began to turn away, pulling his fist out of the stone.

Kurama caught the arm, stopping his demonic master. "I am not a servant, Akuzuki," he replied through clenched teeth. "I am here to uphold my end of the bargain and that is all."

"Yes," Akuzuki hissed as he turned back, navy eyes ablaze. He was once again drawing close to the fox, "and your end of the bargain is to replace the gem for which your employer offered me. Therefore, you are my possession, and you will behave as I command you to. Is that understood, my little emerald jewel?"

Kurama had backed as far against the wall as he could and yet Akuzuki continued to lean towards him. Within seconds the demon's lips were once more brushing his own.

"Is it understood, Kurama?" Akuzuki questioned again, his voice threatening. The fox remained silent for a moment before he cast his eyes downward.

"Yes, My Lord," he replied quietly and the demon before him smiled and pressed his lips against Kurama's. The fox managed not to gag that time, though his stomach churned in disgust.

As Akuzuki pulled back, smiling, Kurama watched him back away with icy eyes. "Good, now follow m-" The demon stopped mid-sentence and his steps halted. Kurama relaxed his frame some as he watched the demon with steadily angry eyes. Akuzuki reached up towards his neck, a look nearing panic appearing on his face.

"You-"

"A seed," Kurama said in disgusted calmness. "Never kiss a plant wielder, _My Lord_."

Kurama turned and opened the door, prepared to hastily make his way to the courtyard entrance, where the others would be waiting for him as planned. However, as he opened the door, he gasped and stepped back, eyes wide.

Where a hallway used to be now resided a stone wall alike to the others in that room. He spun as a hand landed on his shoulder. Akuzuki stopped him from turning, his clutch turning painful and Kurama let out a gargled moan as the demon forced him to his knees.

"Did you not heed my warning, Kurama?" the demon asked as if he had not been choking on a poisonous seed mere minutes ago. "In my keep, you can not harm me."

"Ah…" Kurama clenched his teeth as Akuzuki's hand dug into his collarbone, the strain sending rivets of pain down his arm and spine. He brought one hand up to try and pry the grip off, but to no avail. Much like before, he found himself unable to overpower the taller demon.

"And now you will pay for your treason, you impudent bastard!" Akuzuki's voice was enraged, thick with anger and transformed by rage. Kurama hissed as the grip was tightened even more, the demon's claws beginning to dig into his skin. Blood was slowly seeping through his green, silk shirt and he shouted out in pain.

"St-stop!" he shouted out as his muscles began to convulse under the intense pressure. Akuzuki shoved him aside, slamming the kitsune into a wall. Kurama gasped as he clutched at his bleeding shoulder, vision swimming and mind dazed.

"You do not give me orders!" Akuzuki came over and grabbed Kurama's crimson hair, pulling him up by it. The fox once again shouted out, grabbing at those hands.

"Please!" he shouted out as Akuzuki hauled him up and shoved him against the wall. His hair was suddenly released and his throat grabbed instead. The demon pulled him off the wall only to slam him back into it.

Kurama gasped for breath as the wind was knocked out of him and his dimming vision focused past the demon in front of him. Akuzuki slammed him once more into the stone, but less harshly and he threw Kurama down to the floor after.

The fox gasped for breath, holding his bruising neck as Akuzuki stared at him with furious eyes. "You are _my_ possession. Is that understood!"

"Go…" Kurama reached into his hair, "…To Hell."

Akuzuki's eyes widened and he raised his hands to guard his face as the fifteen foot, thorny and dangerous whip came flying at his face. By the time he dropped his arms, whip wrapped around one, Kurama had vanished.

Akuzuki growled as he looked towards the door, now devoid of a wall and leading into the hallway. The keep had rearranged itself back to its original manner when he had been preoccupied with the kitsune. With an angry growl, he pushed a small button under the corner of the desk and stormed out of the room.

-o-o-o-o-

Yusuke looked up as he heard hurried footsteps. Kurama was running full speed towards them, the Kokushibyou bouncing up and down on his chest. Yusuke waved towards him. "Kurama!"

"Change of plans!" he shouted out as he came up to them, but did not slow as he slammed his weight into the heavy silver doors that lead to the courtyard.

"What's the new plan?" Kuwabara asked as he immediately began pushing on the door with Kurama. The two of them managed to make it slide partially open with a heavy groan.

"Running," Kurama replied as he slipped through the door and took off sprinting through the courtyard, the others at his heels. Before they had even reached a quarter of the way, however, whistles and calls were sounding.

"Stop them!"

"Halt!"

"Shoot them!"

Kurama ducked as an arrow narrowly missed his ear. Within seconds, weapons of varying types were hailing down around them. An energy blast skimmed Yusuke and Kuwabara looked to have lost some of his hair to a similar cause.

"What now?" Yusuke yelled as he turned and shot his spirit gun at a guard on the battlements. He fell down to the courtyard below. Hiei growled and threw a fireball over his shoulder.

"Keep running," he replied as he sent another flame.

"Great," Kuwabara heaved as he nearly tripped over his own feet. "I could have told you that!"

Kurama, who was leading by a few feet, suddenly slammed to a halt, stopping so abruptly that he slid, his feet falling from under him. He came to a stop much as a baseball player would after a slide, at the base of a very tall wall that had eradicated itself before them, growing out of the ground like a tree might.

Yusuke came to a halt in time, managing to stay on his feet. Hiei stopped as if nothing had happened and glared at the wall menacingly even as Kuwabara, who had been watching over his shoulder as he ran, slammed into it.

The orange-haired teen fell back before suddenly jumping up, screaming, "What the hell?"

"He's rearranging the keep!" Kurama gasped as another wall suddenly sprang up from the stone ground behind them. Two other walls formed, closing them in.

"He what?" Yusuke yelled as he punched the stone wall. Nothing changed. Kurama climbed to his feet as Hiei glanced upwards. The fire demon crouched and jumped, aiming to land perfectly on the top of the wall.

But halfway to his destination, the wall extended another twenty feet into the air. Hiei immediately turned his body slightly to push off the wall and turn, aiming for the other. Nothing worked, the wall just grew taller no matter how many times the fire demon tried to jump it.

Kuwabara looked around at them as Yusuke fired his rei gun at the wall, causing all of them to duck as it slammed into it, sending debris flying. And yet, when the smoke cleared, there was no sign of dent or mark.

Kurama slammed his hand against the wall, a birthed plant entwining around his fingers. The purple-green vines of the plant began to twist and burrow into the wall. But after several seconds, Kurama was panting with the exertion to control the flora that was draining all his power to dig harder.

Finally, Hiei grabbed his arm and pulled it away from the stone, taking the plant away from its centimeter deep hole. It closed with fresh stone as if never there.

"Urameshi! Move!" Kuwabara shouted as he summoned his dimensional rei-ken. Yusuke turned to him, his eyes widening as he dodged to the side. Kuwabara let out a conquering shout as he slashed at the stone.

A suspenseful silence filled the air as Kuwabara's rei-ken sliced through the air. He stood, sword still poised in an after strike, staring at the wall. Then, slowly, as if deliberately trying to kill the captives of anticipation, a diagonal crack began to form in the stone.

The two parts split and crumbled like bread, falling to a mass pile of stone and boulder. As the dust began to clear, Hiei sprang towards the broken wall, pulling Kurama behind him.

"Come on!" Yusuke shouted to Kuwabara as he followed the two demons, jumping over the pile of dust and debris. The orange haired teen, sword still in hand, started in step, his foot landing atop the pile of rocks. Before he could take another step, however, he screamed out.

Kurama froze, stopping Hiei as the fire demon turned also. Yusuke spun, not ten feet from Kuwabara. The teen's foot had sunk into the rock he had stepped on, the stone reforming around his foot.

Yusuke's eyes widened as he saw the rock compact some, crushing Kuwabara's foot and ankle. The orange-haired detective cried out and dropped his sword, grabbing at his foot and attempting to pull it out as his bones grinded in protest and his nerve endings screamed.

The raven-haired teen jumped back onto the rocks, sprinting to aide Kuwabara. He bent down and grabbed his friend's leg, trying to pull it out of the stone. His leg stuck fast and Kuwabara grinded his teeth against the strain.

"Hold on, man," Yusuke tried to sound reassuring as he released Kuwabara's leg and instead drew his fist back. Before the orange-haired teen could object, Yusuke slammed his fist into the rock.

Kuwabara groaned as the rock responded by closing tighter around his foot. He shook his head to Yusuke, who had drawn his fist back once more. The raven-haired teen instead looked around, desperately trying to find something to break the rock. Kurama was heading back to them, Hiei in tow when Yusuke drew his fingers into his infamous gun position.

"No, just get out of here, Urameshi," Kuwabara spoke through clenched teeth, the rock shifting slightly to grind against his skin. Yusuke shook his head without answer and began drawing on a tiny stream of his energy.

Before he could fire, however, Kuwabara shoved him away. His energy diminished as his stance broke and Yusuke tumbled and fell from the stone pile. He hit the stone floor hard on his butt.

"Run you idiot!" Kuwabara yelled out, voice in pain as the stone began to once more grow smaller. Yusuke, wide eyed, started towards him again when Kuwabara shrieked in anger, throwing a stone towards him.

The raven-haired teen ducked the rock but froze. Kuwabara screeched, his voice raged and pained, "You have a mission, you asshole! You can't skirt this one! Get Kurama and that thing around his neck out of here! ... What are you waiting for, Urameshi!"

Yusuke stared at his friend, his eyes brimming with water that he struggled to keep away. He shook his head, frozen to the spot as Kuwabara threw another stone, barely missing him.

"Get out of here!" Kuwabara screamed as his bones began to bend under the pressure. He tried to say more but the pain caused his throat to clench and he doubled over in pain. He looked up, his eyes pleading. "You can't help me, Urameshi! Get them out of here!"

The detective drew back, his eyes still brimming with tears. Kuwabara cried out once again in anger, his throat ragged with pain and Yusuke finally nodded and turned his back on the orange-haired teen. Without a second glance, for he feared he would not be able to listen to his friend's demands if he did, he grabbed Kurama's arm and began sprinting towards the gate.

"No! Yusuke, stop! We have to go back!" Kurama's protests were not unheard by the crying detective, but Yusuke shook his head, trying to blink away the tears falling down his cheek.

Hiei followed at the same speed, his crimson eyes wide, as he found no words to say, no crude joke to make. He glanced over his shoulder to see Kuwabara watching them, a sad but grateful smile on his face.

_'...Thank you, Kuwabara.' _

The orange-haired teen did not miss the telepathic message, and nodded. He watched his teammates run towards their freedom even as the rock crushed every bone in his foot with a sickening crack.

Kurama's eyes widened as his friend's agonized cry reached his ears and he dug his heels into the ground, desperately trying to stop Yusuke. While efficiently slowed, they did not stop and Kurama screamed as Hiei grabbed his other elbow and pulled with Yusuke.

They were only another dozen yards from the wall.

-o-o-o-o-

Kuwabara looked up, his face grimacing in pain, as Akuzuki stepped before him. The teen sneered and spit at the demon's feet, his own foot crushed beneath him and sending waves of agonized pain up his body.

"How rude." With nothing more said, Akuzuki raised a shining sword, silver hilt incrusted with a single blood red ruby at the tip. With an almost angry indifference, the demon slid the metal weapon through the detective's throat in a single, fluid motion.

Kuwabara's black eyes opened wide as all pain passed into oblivion. His vision dimmed slightly as he maintained his cold stare on Akuzuki. Blood welled in his mouth as his lungs failed to gather more oxygen, their intake blocked.

The teen's mind began to panic as his gargled breath caught again and again. His own crimson life source spilled from his mouth, trailing down his chin. His vision swam before him as his mind began to shut down, panic rushing through him.

Kuwabara's eyes rolled into the back of his head and he fell to the cold stone bellow, the sword sliding back out of his flesh.

-o-o-o-o-

_Tucked away in this page of the report filed by this, Lord Koenma, was an old, yellowed paper whose crinkled page and tear stained writing made it somewhat difficult to make out. After some time, I was able to decipher the flowing script to be that of a death certificate._

**File:** RJ50217

**Account:** Death One

**Handled by:** Koenma, Jr. Lord of Reikai

**Name:** _Kuwabara, Kazuma _

**Age:** _17_

**Birth:**_August 5, 1987_

**Death:**_ September 26, 2004_

**Cause**:_ Sword through throat / suffocation_

-o-o-o-o-

...don't kill me. You all knew it was coming.

Whelp, congrats, you made it through this chapter, long as it was. And to think, I was planning to end it somewhere entirely different, which would probably have taken another ten pages. Well, you can just read it next time. I thought that 52 pages was enough for one chapter...

Don't you?

And don't even think about complaining about the length! If you think it was really that bad, imagine what I had to go through, writing the whole thing, struggling to keep it under fifty pages (failing) and then having to proof read all of it after I finished writing the damn thing!

Hmph! I don't need complaints to add onto that!

Please review.

Oh! Sorry: **Author's Notes**:

_...Kuwabara...asking if it was now a nightmare come true instead of his earlier mocking of a dream... _I wasn't sure how many of you would remember this (or how many read the first chapter again once you saw this one was out) and remember that Yusuke had earlier said "I have always dreamt of spending the night in a creepy keep with a dude that has a thing for rusty old artifacts that we're tricking out of his possession. Yep, a dream come true."

_...I hope you all like hide of the Nomlas..._ No, the Nomlas isn't a real creature. Just look how it's spelled backwards. Same goes for Ecuij of Yendik. 8D Hurray for creativity! (-- yeah right)

…_Hiei…wasn't just being overly defensive in guarding his property…_ I do not often enjoy stories that portray Hiei as the kind who sees Kurama as his "possession." However, I do believe in the fact that demons view their mates as their property/territory and not allowed to be touched by others. That's what markings are for, a warning.

_...most likely seeing much of what Kurama had seen through Hiei's silky outfit (and perhaps a bit more, as the fox was so earnest in admitting.)... _Yes, this was a sexual innuendo. I was hoping you people might get that on your own, but I'll put it just in case (other wise, I find this statement confusing) If you didn't figure it out, Kurama was obviously hinting to the fact that Hiei had aroused him somewhat.

_...Akuzuki's voice was enraged, thick with anger and transformed by rage..._ Alright, I am hinting at something in future chapters that explains a lot about the keep and Akuzuki. If you feel like guessing what it is, I would appreciate it. But none of you have to if you don't' want to. Just keep in mind what this might be implying.

Uh...I don't really like the way I wrote Kurama's reaction to Akuzuki. Most of the time (and you will see this in later chapters) I see him much stronger and more defiant than that. I don't really know why I had him react that way...I guess I'll blame it on myself...maybe I was in a crying mood.

Shrug Anyways, if there is a reason why he reacted as such, it would have to be that he just completely lost his grip for a few minutes and turned from calm strategy to despair.

Also, I have never seen a death certificate, I don't know what's on them, frankly, I don't really have any interest in finding out. Everything I needed you to know I put on my "Makeshift Death Certificate" so don't complain.

If you couldn't figure out that the last bit was by Kamariann Glorstirn...--sigh-- I need you guys to pay more attention, then. I have a lot hidden in these stories that leaves hints, reveals plans, foreshadows, and explains a lot more than you'd think. So I want to thank all of you who pay close attention. --sigh-- especially since this chapter was so long.

So please forgive me for sounding rude about the length, I just didn't want to break it up. Plus, I don't see what's so bad about it. But, forgive me if I sounded angry or rude.

I'm not...I'm just tired. I was up till one in the morning to do this, so please don't complain about the length. I actually worked really hard to get this out to you guys this weekend.


	4. Death Two and Three

**Disclaimer**: blank

…NO! YOU CAN'T MAKE ME ADMIT IT! NEVER NEVER NEVER!

Kit: we can't…but the lawyers can…

TT …mumbles I don't own them….

Now…I DID IT! I DID IT!

I UPDATED! WOOOOOW!

**Review Responses** I want to thank each of you for reading and reviewing my story, and those of you who aren't reviewing…

CURSE YOU!

Okay, back on track now. Um, I believe it was Leigh (Evene) who pointed out the blooper in the last chapter…Yes, Kuwabara died in **2005** that was a typo. I apologize for that, and will hopefully, find time to go and correct that, though that's not too likely, considering I'm both short on time and lazy, a bad combination.

**Notes**: Uh…Okay, I had about six people tell me in a two week period that I needed to update Last One Left…or was it three people telling me twice…or two people telling me three times….or one and a half people telling me…

Oh, I don't know anymore!

**Notes 2: **Uh...I'm not too good with accents (actually...I don't know if I am or not. I did one in _Cold Rescue_ but I don't know how that turned out) Unfortunately, an accent comes more so from the pronunciation of the letters, particularly vowels, then from leaving letters off. But it's much too complicated, not to mention impossible in the program I'm in, to accent each vowel to fit the pronunciation.

I'm just too damn lazy to do that.

So if Jin doesn't seem to be talking like Jin...I'm sorry.

**Notes 3**: Not much Koenma input in this one. Sorry for those humor liking fans. More drama and tragedy for this chapter.

Anyways, aso sorry for the half-year wait (eeeeek!) and I hope you enjoy the chapter.

-o-o-o-o-o-

**_The Last one Left_ **

_Chapter 3 _

-Death 2 and 3

-o-o-o-o-o-

Yusuke skidded to a halt as they reached the wall, tears streaming down his face as he took the support of Kurama solely on himself, Hiei quietly handing him over. The fox was barely on his feet, eyes wide and body numb, tears trailing down his soft skin with no recognition.

"Hold on, Kurama," Yusuke muttered as he hoisted his friend's arm over his shoulders, trying to hold up the completely shocked teen. The raven-haired teen hadn't ever seen Kurama quite like this.

The redhead wasn't responding well, and Yusuke could only imagine that it came from overwhelming despair that simply sent his body into shock. And of course, the detective, knowing Kurama so well, immediately recognized the signs of guilt ridden over the fox's face.

The kitsune was already blaming himself for everything.

Hiei gently released Kurama's arm, giving his hand a small squeeze before he turned to the wall. Yusuke was keeping the random projections of both weapons and ki away from them as best he could, erecting a sort of kekkai, though his haste and inexperience made it weak and susceptible.

The fire demon knew he didn't have much time and crouched down, preparing to leap onto the fortress wall. Two guards were running along it, coming quickly towards them, and more importantly, to the spot he wanted to land on, but he knew he could easily kill them.

Crouching back like a tiger, he built up the power in his legs and sprang forward, much as a cat jumping off its hind legs. Hiei twisted his body slightly to project exactly where he wanted to land, rising just inches off the wall.

Red eyes widened a fraction of a millimeter as he felt the power course through the wall he was feet away from touching and he quickly pulled his legs back, tucking into a ball. Two foot, black iron spikes erupted along the entire top of the wall, skewering the two guards with agonized screams.

Hiei twisted his body, arching back and moving his right arm over his chest to spin his body as he came down onto the keep wall. A small grunt emitted from his lips as he successfully turned his body upside down and caught one of the spikes, hands on either side of it to hold himself up without injury. Slowly, he piked his body in half and set his feet down between the large spikes, using incredible stomach and arm strength as well as control.

He turned back to the two below him and was about to motion them to follow when the spikes suddenly vanished and he stumbled back on one foot, caught slightly off guard. His red eyes widened as he felt the power surge once more and he leapt backwards into the air as the spikes strove higher up, their locations shifted and their lengths extended.

The wall shot up towards him as it increased in height under Akuzuki's control. Hiei cursed and twisted to the side as the wall shot past him, scraping his left arm at the proximity. He once more tucked, turning his feet to the wall and shoving away from it as it slowed and finally stopped.

The fire demon landed lightly on his feet beside Yusuke and Kurama, as if he had done this a thousand times. He glared at the stone wall before them, reaching at least fifty feet into the air now.

His left arm was scraped and skinned from elbow to shoulder.

"Damn him." Yusuke turned to him as a huge ki blast ripped through the kekkai, shaking the ground and collapsing the entire shield. Hiei's eyes were ablaze with murder and his clenched fists were emitting smoke.

"Don't," the raven-haired detective warned, knowing that the fire demon was contemplating the awakening of his Kokuryuha. "We can find another way out of here."

"How?" Hiei hissed out, hands clenching and unclenching. "I won't let him have Kurama!"

The fox slowly looked up, his first response since the shock of Kuwabara's death. His green eyes seemed to widen slightly in recognition and he pulled away from Yusuke. Surprised, the detective released his arms without registering the actual movement.

Long, thing hands tore at his neck, grasping and hooking around the thin, fine chain of the amulet. He pulled it hastily off, a red line remaining where the skin had suffered the fierce yank to it. Kurama shoved it into a confused Hiei's hands.

"Take it, Hiei. You can get out of here, you can jump that wall," Kurama said hastily and both detective's and fire demon's eyes widened slightly. "Take Yusuke and get out of here!"

"Whoa, whoa, whoa!" Yusuke shouted in reply as he grabbed Kurama by the shoulders. "Not only can I not jump that thing, I'm not leaving you here!"

"Absolutely not." Kurama's green eyes shifted into anger and despair as Hiei's voice was absolute, and left no room for arguing and the amulet was shoved back into his hands. The fire demon turned with his side to Kurama, his eyes focused on the smoke clearing around them, caused by the last and final attack that collapsed the kekkai.

Red eyes glared out of the corner of his eye at Kurama's angry, pleading gaze. "I will not leave you here." Each word was sharply pronounced and defined in anger. "Don't you ever suggest such a thing again."

Kurama's eyes, wide with his lover's response, averted to the ground, still being held from behind by Yusuke. Slowly, he raised his hands and hooked the amulet back around his neck, the piercing beauty of it falling across his pale skin to hang down in front of his clothed chest. "Yes, Hiei…"

Those blood red eyes returned to glaring at the man approaching them through the clearing smoke. Tendrils of the white, thick substance curled around his legs as Akuzuki's menacing form stepped from cloaking cover.

"Hello, boys." His voice was cold and malicious. Yusuke gripped Kurama's shoulders tighter as he felt the tensing muscles that ran a light shiver through the fox. "Game over, I suppose."

Hiei snarled, his right arm twitching against the wards, dark black smoke curling up around his tight muscles. Akuzuki grinned, placing his wait casually on one leg so as to give an appearance of nonchalance.

"Your little dragon can't harm me, Hiei," the demon mentioned as if to raise a hand and yawn in boredom. Yusuke released one of Kurama's shoulders, aiming his gun at their opponent.

"And that will do even less," came the arrogant reply. Akuzuki suddenly dropped his little act of confident ignorance and his face fell to a look of loathing anger that even sent Hiei a few inches back, dropping into a defensive stance in front of his two comrades.

A step was taken that echoed against the cobblestones and was soon followed by a slow, deliberate second. Hiei growled, sinking low in his defensive position in front of his friend and lover, hand on his sword hilt and prepared to draw against their enemy.

Akuzuki smirked as he took yet another step forward. He was almost within Hiei's striking distance, and the fire demon's right hand twitched in bloodlust and desired death.

Kurama tried to move towards the fire demon, not wanting him to fight when both of them knew that Akuzuki's words were most likely true. However, Yusuke kept him pulled tightly back, holding him away from the lustful, terrifying demon before them.

Hiei snarled as Akuzuki took another step and black boots dug into the ground as he turned his leg slightly and sprung off the balls of his feet, charging the arrogant bastard. A smirk danced across the pale mind demon's face as he raised his arms in mimic of the fire demon's attack.

The blade erupted with black fire, floating and spinning off the shining metal as it swarmed to the tip. The fire demon sliced downwards on Akuzuki, aiming for that obnoxious smirk on his face.

Red eyes widened as his target's hands suddenly shifted in matter, turning from a pale peach to a dull and lifeless gray. Hiei had no time to pull back, nor alter his decision before the end of his sword was clasped between two stone hands, ignorant and uncaring of the fire that scorched at their gray surfaces.

One hand pulled quickly away from the burning metal as the other shifted to hold the blade between two fingers, the strength immense and unheard of as Hiei attempted to pull the sword. The free grey hand was brought back near Akuzuki's stomach, making a fist before he shoved his hand out, the speeding brick aimed for Hiei's chest. Fingers stretched flat with the palm and the fire demon braced himself for pain even as he released his sword and prepared to jump back.

The hiyoukai sprang off his feet as the hand drew within inches of him, speeding fingers aimed for his left lung. Red eyes narrowed in anticipated pain when a cry ran through the air and Hiei found himself flung to the side, narrowly avoiding any contact with Akuzuki and instead earning full body length contact with the stone floor.

Navy blue eyes almost black in the image of his own soul seemed slightly caught off guard as he rose to his full height, throwing the sword to the side. Grey hands slowly shifted back to their pale, almost white color.

"Well, Kurama, aren't we full of surprises," he said in a sultry voice, once more taking up his nonchalant stance.

The aforementioned fox kneeled on the ground, one leg tucked behind and the other bent before him as he leaned over it, pressing his hand to the ground. Dark green vines had weaved among the stone cracks to wrap around Hiei's leg and fling him to the side, slamming him back to the earth (more due so to gravity, than actually on purpose, as I hear.) Shining emerald eyes were narrowed in a glare worthy of the name Youko.

Akuzuki's eyes lowered almost leisurely to the vines implanted among the cracks in the stone floor. With these narrowed eyes that glinted in sudden coldness and annoyance, the demon flicked his hand to the side and the stones grinded together, mincing and burying the vines as they slid together tight enough that not even a knife could be slid between them.

Yusuke fired his gun at Akuzuki, the brilliant, large blast flying right at him. With the bat of an eye, the stone floor built into a vertical wall right in front of the target. The reikai ball slammed into it, creating another large explosion concluded with clouds of billowing smoke that wrapped like clinging tendrils around the wall. Slowly, it sunk back into the ground to reveal a smirking, unharmed Akuzuki.

Hiei pulled the plant off his leg and disappeared in his speed, reappearing beside Kurama and gently placing a hand on his shoulder. Akuzuki didn't seem to notice the difference as he stepped right up before the two. Yusuke was about to fire another blast but pulled back, noticing the proximity of his teammates.

"Shit," he muttered. They were running out of defenses. The only one truly left was the Kokuryuha, but it appeared that this demon would not be defeated by strength. And their mental force was still too susceptible to the demon standing feet in front of him.

Kurama reached up, holding Hiei's hand on his shoulder, his eyes never leaving Akuzuki's. The demon sneered at this, the fox having done so to irritate him.

"We had a deal, Kurama," he spoke, his voice like acid and the fox resisted the urge to close his eyes and run, run as far away as he could from the sadistic demon. "You broke it. Tell me why I shouldn't punish you according to the laws of demon world?"

Kurama's eyes flashed in anger. He knew the laws as well as any other, however few and harsh they were. Any deal made and broken entitled the death of the betrayer. If his death was not possible, or unavailable, the death of a lover or immediate family member substituted.

Of course, these laws were not imposed, never truly laid down, and followed when and _only when_ it benefited the demon using them. Any other time and they were discarded or ignored.

So goes the demon world.

"Because he is not a resident of the Makai and therefore not forfeit to the punishment of a broken law," Hiei recited in a cold, hard voice. Being a border scout and general of Mukuro's army for several years, Hiei knew the so-called "rules" by heart, though he rarely followed them, finding them as pointless as many rules made up by ningens.

Akuzuki tilted his head slightly, as if taking in the demon for the first time. Yusuke frowned, cautious as Hiei as to what their opponent was up to. Cold blue eyes were staring at the fire demon in curiosity that, before they could react, shifted to pure anger and hatred.

The hiyoukai blinked in surprise at the sudden, almost unprecedented change. He had no time, however, to react to the surge beneath all of their feet and his eyes widen as all three of them dropped at least a foot, sinking into the sudden liquid stone beneath their feet.

Kurama cried out in surprise, even as Yusuke shouted in dismay and the liquid stone re-hardened around their limbs, holding them without hope to move. Hiei struggled to free his now rooted legs and feared that Kuwabara's fate might have just become their own.

But Akuzuki seemed to have no intention of killing any of the three remaining tentai as he strode to stand beside Kurama. Hiei growled and went to punch him but Akuzuki moved to Kurama's backside in half the speed, though still able to avoid Hiei's fist. The fire demon growled as rock tightened around his legs in response to his attack, but he only truly stopped his struggle when Akuzuki pointed smugly down to Kurama, eyes locked with the fire demon.

The stone was slowly crawling up his kneeling lover, already up to his waist.

"I don't need his legs intact to retain what I want, fire demon," their captive spoke in a voice that was partially amused, and partially nonchalant. Just the tone alone was enough to send waves of pure fury through Hiei and he immediately backed down, lowering his raised arm but holding the glare.

Akuzuki slowly, as if he had all the time in the world, grabbed Kurama's hair as the fox fought against the liquid-stone clinging to his hands. But every time he pulled his arm away, more clung and crawled around him and he eventually retained stillness, staring nervously down at the grey matter rising to his hips and framing him in a life-size statue.

Green eyes drew upward, however, when the hand slowly fisted within his hair and pulled his head back, exposing his neck. Now, as I understand it and as a general no-brainer, demons use their instincts to survive, and that includes the one that tells them to protect their vulnerable spots.

And the neck is a very, very vulnerable spot.

So it is truly no wonder when Hiei told me that Kurama's eyes flashed gold here and vines thinner than the blade of a knife began to slither through the stones and wrap around Akuzuki's legs, holding him in a similar situation as the fox.

The resident of the keep didn't seem to care as he reached down his hand and ripped the amulet off of Kurama's neck. A flinch accompanied the movement as already tampered skin actually tore with the ferocity of the attack. Blood slowly pooled until it ran in small droplets down his skin.

Hiei growled in pure hatred, his eyes ablaze but his brow furled with concern and worry for the fox's pain. Akuzuki, amulet gripped tightly in hand, ignored the other two tentai and slowly removed his hand from Kurama's hair, fingers tracing through silky strands and down the skin of his neck to the bruising red line and roughed skin from the amulet.

Kurama shivered beneath his touch, and Akuzuki pulled away shortly after feeling this and enjoying the rush of mastery he held over the fox in that moment. He turned and started away, the amulet dangling from its chain grasped firmly in his hand.

"Take them to the dungeons," he ordered without even looking around and the three detectives glared furiously as guards surrounded them, some holding ki-reducing wards in their hands.

-o-o-o-o-

"This is so stupid."

Kurama slowly opened his eyes, half lidded with exhaustion and something akin to despair. Course, sword-calloused fingers ran mildly through his hair, gently caressing his crimson strands. He rubbed his head very gently back against the black cloth of Hiei's stomach, his cheek lying on the fire demon's thigh.

He lay on the cold stone floor of the dungeons, his head in Hiei's lap, his arm loosely wrapped around the fire demon's waist, his other beneath his tear-stained cheek. In turn, Hiei sat with his back against the wall but for the fox's arm wrapped around him. His black hair was pressed against the dirty stone and his legs stretched out before him.

Across the small room, not a full five feet from him, sat Yusuke. He had his legs crossed underneath him, sitting on his bottom against the wall, his own head laid back in aggravated and stubborn defeat.

Kurama slowly closed his eyes, holding them shut for several moments before he opened them to take in the detective once more. He was slowly, methodically banging his head against the stone wall.

"This is _so_ stupid!" he repeated, his eyes blinking almost lazily. "I can't believe it…I won't believe it…"

"What, Yusuke?" Kurama asked softly, his tone a hollow sound to what it normally was. All three of them seemed to be at a complete loss, their minds numb with their possible fates.

Yusuke's face was blank but for his eyes, which were tainted with the utter sorrow of loss and disgrace. He laid his hands numbly in his lap and stared toward the ceiling, his head laid back.

"Kuwabara…he…He gave his life for us to get away…" Yusuke's eyes narrowed as he looked away from the ceiling, turning his head to stare to the side. "And here we are…not away."

Kurama slowly picked his head off of Hiei's leg, staring sympathetically at Yusuke. He moved his scarlet bangs out of his eyes, slipping them behind his ear and opened his mouth to give comfort.

"Idiot."

Kurama blinked in surprise and turned to Hiei, who was glaring at the detective. Yusuke's eyes opened wide, flashing angrily at the fire demon, but Hiei beat him to any retort. "Kuwabara died honorably. Don't you _dare _insult his life by saying his death was for nothing!"

Yusuke's eyes widened as the fire demon's voice rose in level until he was shouting at his comrade. Kurama looked to his lover with soft eyes, a smile slowly forming at Hiei's honorable intentions, however harsh the words.

The raven-haired detective across from them was staring in his own guilt-ridden shock and awakening. Kurama slowly stood to cross the cell, slowly sitting down beside him.

"It's okay," he whispered, gently wrapping an arm around him. "It's alright to cry, Yusuke. Kuwabara died in honor, and he died for us." A tear slipped down his cheek, but he paid it no heed.

The chocolate-eyed teen looked up in surprise, staring at Kurama with unreadable eyes. A small smile broke over his face, though it was small and sad as tears slipped down his cheeks and he laid his head against the fox's, closing his eyes as his shoulders shook with quieted sobs.

Hiei laid his head back, watching his lover with content, though his mind was filled with everything that had happened, and everything that would happen. Red eyes glanced down to the purple bruises already taking over most of the fox's legs from his earlier participation in the living statue experiment. The fire demon tore his eyes away and looked back up to those crystal green orbs.

Suddenly, they were no longer the saviors of the world, the demons' boogyman.

Now they were just like kids, locked up and convinced that they were as helpless as everything they weren't.

The fire demon closed his eyes. "Kurama." When he could feel his lover's eyes on him, the fire demon rolled his head slightly to the side in acknowledgement. "Why can Akuzuki change the keep? That's not a mental power."

Kurama waited a while before he replied, and well chosen as his answer was, it was not a happily received one. "Because he isn't Akuzuki...his real name is Feroc."

Yusuke's eyes narrowed, though whether in confusion or not wasn't apparent. Either way, Hiei was about to give him an explanation if he needed one, when he sat straight up against the wall. "Feroc? As in the sorcerer, the man who built this god-awful place? Kurama, have you lost your mind, he was killed over a millennia ago!"

Kurama shook his bead, eyes silently closed, locking away the depths of truth and knowledge held in those green orbs of his. "You should know better than anyone, Yusuke, that when you die, it isn't always permanent."

Yusuke stared at him for several seconds of blinking innocence before he closed his eyes in horrible understanding. "He isn't dead. He transferred his soul just like you did, didn't he?"

Kurama glanced down at the ground at the mention of his own greatest crime, a crime that still struck him across the face like a fresh slap every time it was brought up.

The fox was trying to remain hopeful, but the ever-looming despair of not making it out of here always brought him back down. And Yusuke's reminder of his largest, most painful lie to his mother now caught him tightly over the chest, like a hand squeezing without mercy.

He could die that very night and his mother would never know the truth.

Kurama shook himself out of the painful reverie and looked over to Yusuke. Both his surviving teammates were staring at him expectantly, both with a twinge of worry in there eye. The youko offered a soft smile.

"Yes, Yusuke," he finally replied, his voice quiet. "Feroc transferred his soul into Akuzuki. I don't know when, or if Akuzuki is even his first host. All I know is that the two share a body. I've seen Feroc come out..."

Hiei nodded. "He's the one shifting the keep, not Akuzuki." Kurama glanced over to him, his bright green eyes meeting their opposites. Hiei could easily pick up the grief that hadn't faded in those orbs yet. There was enough despair in the room to choke an oni. Hiei recognized this and knew, knew that they needed to know that there was still hope left in their worlds.

"Fox..."

Yusuke gave a soft "ahem" and turned away, quite quickly and randomly finding a spot on the wall to captivate his interest. In the corner of their minds, both demons acknowledged their teammates respect for their privacy.

Kurama moved slightly closer to the fire demon, a pained, almost desperate expression crossing his face. Hiei reached over to him, wrapping his hand gently around Kurama's neck. With slow pressure, the fire demon pulled the fox's head down to rest on his shoulder, gently holding him close.

"It's going to be okay, Fox," he whispered. "Everything will be okay."

Kurama nodded against him as he wrapped his arms in Hiei's clothing, just to hold on tighter, to feel closer. "Just don't let go of me, Hiei. Don't let go of me."

-o-o-o-o-

At this point in time, we were aware of everything happening in Feroc Keep. Kuwabara's soul had been collected and returned to the Spirit World where he gave a quick rendition of everything that had happened.

We had already arranged a second team to go into the keep to pull off a rescue mission. We prepped the only people we had available and easily reachable; they were also the only people who had the skill that would be needed for the level of stealth that was required.

The team consisted of six operatives, three who would enter the keep and get my three remaining tentai out while three remained on the perimeters as a backup plan. This time we would have a backup plan, though I prayed to god at the time that we wouldn't need it.

Touya and Jin, the two surviving Shinobi of the Spirit Realm entered the keep to recover Yusuke, Kurama, and Kuwabara. They were led by the only other person we found capable of this sort of task.

Genkai had volunteered before we even had the chance to ask her; practically broke down my office door to yell in my ear of how I could possibly have let this happen. Despite all the put on about how she hates her apprentice, the old master cared for Yusuke like a son that she had never had.

The last two members of our rescue squad who would remain on the outskirts of the valley were Shishiwakamaru, Chuu, and Suzuka. The three left the group to position themselves in preparation for if Touya, Jin, and Genkai would need them.

The latter three, meanwhile, snuck down into the valley and entered the keep from the south side, beside the wall that cut deep into the mountainside, hiding the other half of the enormous keep from view. How they got in was never clear; by the time their souls were reported back into Spirit World, we had very little time left. Only the most vague of details were recorded after that.

We know that they killed over fifteen guards combined without alerting a single person of their presence as they snuck through the courtyard, following the southern wall as closely as they could. Once inside the mountain portion of the keep, they made their way down as many levels as they had found.

From the same schematics that we had used to brief the boys, our three operatives followed the memorized path through the keep to the first available, and least used stairwell. With two more guards on their way to visit us at Spirit world, the three managed to make it to the lowest levels of the keep.

-o-o-o-o-

Yusuke picked his head up milliseconds after Kurama had turned to their cell's bar door. The fox and the detective exchanged worried glances as Hiei's arms tightened around the kitsune.

They heard footsteps down the stairway that connected to the cell hallway. Hiei, fearing it was Akuzuki hear to collect on his "part" of the bargain, gripped Kurama almost painfully tightly to his side, fingers digging into the fox's hips.

"Dragon..." Kurama whispered and the fire demon, surprised, loosened his grip and looked up at green eyes. "It's okay, Hiei. I'm not going anywhere...As long as you hold me, I'm not going anywhere."

The fire demon nodded, looking away to swallow heavily as he set his glare to the bars.

Yusuke watched the two of them with a dread that he could do nothing about, which only made it all the worse. He stood up and approached the bars, determined not to let Akuzuki or Feroc or whoever he really was touch Kurama. He'd already failed in protecting one friend; he wasn't going to leave the other two so easily.

Three sets of eyes widened beyond belief as a wind demon skidded to a halt in perfect silence in front of their cage. Blue eyes were wide in that customary smile of his, which reached from ear to ear. Wild red hair was spread everywhere in its own wind which gently blew it back and forth.

"Jin!" Yusuke screamed out, all but tackled the bars to grab Jin's hand as he reached it out. The two were like college roommates who hadn't seen one another in five years.

"Shh! Don' ya know this is a rescue mission?" he asked in that heavy accent of his as his grin grew impossibly wider. Yusuke matched his grin as Hiei and Kurama stood up and two more figures suddenly appeared beside the one-horned demon.

"Touya? Genkai-sensei?" Kurama blinked in surprise as the icy-haired demon and the old master came into the dim light of the dank dungeon. Touya smiled softly at his long time friend.

"Koenma sent us," the somewhat harsh voice of Genkai broke in as Touya began freezing the bars of their cell.

"We'll have ya ou' in a jiffy!" Jin said excitedly as he watched his lover work on stiffening the metal to a point of uselessness. Genkai stepped forward and cracked one of the bars right in two, some of the metal crumbling in frozen bits.

"Let's go," Touya replied as he broke several other ones, creating a hole large enough them to climb through. Kurama smiled as Hiei gently pushed him through, Yusuke taking his elbow and guiding him before following. The fire demon went last, Jin grabbing his arm and helping him out.

Touya gently took Kurama's arm, already eyeing the purpling skin on his legs. The blue-haired demon smiled as he wrapped the fox's arm around his shoulder. "Let's go, I'll help you."

Hiei chose to lead beside Genkai, making sure that no one posed a threat to them. He would have liked to cover the rear as well but he couldn't be in two places at once so he left it up to Jin and Yusuke.

The fire demon darted up the stairs, landing on the top far before anyone else and scouted a few yards down either hallway. When he found it clear he returned as the others were making it up the steps.

"Let's get the hell out of here," Yusuke spoke lowly as he emerged onto the landing as well. A smirk graced his lips as they began down the hallway as a group, maintaining a constant guard all around them.

They didn't run into any problems up the stairs or through the brilliant hallways, such a contrast to the grimy dungeons they had spent the better part of the morning in.

While the rescue team had gone in under the cover of dusk; the sun just beginning to rise above the valley walls; the team now emerged into the courtyard under the intensity of the early morning sun. The three blinked under the new onslaught of light, their eyes adjusted to the dim ways beneath the castle.

It was here that they ran into their first problem. The rescue mission had been planned for a quick in and out routine, so as no dead guards were found before they could get back out. However, when they reached the surface, not ten minutes after the first guard's throat was cut, they found a welcoming party that looked very unwelcoming.

Akuzuki was at the head of it, his long hair black hair loose and falling down his back, gently blowing in the crisp morning breeze. His almost black eyes were narrowed angrily at the six standing before him.

Yusuke pushed his way to the front of the group, standing beside Hiei. On either side of the two stood Touya and Jin. Kurama was "handed off" to Genkai and already growing angry at being treated like an injured child.

"Well, well, out for a morning stroll?" the master of the keep asked coldly, his arms crossed over his black-clothed chest. The expensive yukata he wore was a silky black with glistening gold lining. He wore a haori of golden threat covered in black-outlined dragons.

"Yep," Yusuke replied. "Right out your front gate."

Akuzuki's icy eyes to him and flashed angrily. "And what makes you think that I will let you walk right out of this keep, especially with _my_ property?"

Hiei's teeth clenched and the detective could feel the heat radiating off of him. He reached over and put a comforting hand on the fire demon's shoulder. Red eyes did not turn to him, but he knew that Hiei's thoughts needed to stay on Akuzuki.

"Kurama isn't something to own." Touya's cold voice cut through the staring contest like ice, colder than even the eyes of the fire demon and Akuzuki. All gazes shifted to the blue haired boy in surprise that the first word of anger came from him.

"Got tha' righ'" Jin replied, smirking at their enemies, blue eyes bright in the expectation of a good fight. One of his ears twitched slightly and he glanced quickly over to his lover before focusing his attention back on Akuzuki and his men.

Akuzuki stared at them without change, his eyes still icy and angry. But after a moment in which no one moved or spoke, those eyes suddenly narrowed in laughter as a smile breaking over his face.

A smile cold enough to make Touya fight a shiver.

With his grin, Akuzuki leaned slightly forward to leer, and taunted, "Taking into account how much you all care for _my_ little fox..." he added a dramatic pause, leaning back and holding himself with authoritative importance, "...I'll make you a deal.

"You may leave without any further delay," he began, his eyes glinting in pure malice, "but you leave what belongs to me here." His eyes lost their smile, mirroring his face. "Kurama stays; you go."

"Hell no!" Yusuke shouted out automatically, bringing up a clenched fist, already spiritually charged with his energy. "There's no way in hell we're leaving him he-"

"You swear to it, Akuzuki?"

Five pairs of stunned eyes turned to the ruby-haired fox, followed by Akuzuki's smug grin.

"Yes, Kurama," their navy-eyed captor replied. "As long as you stay and no Spirit World operative ever bothers me again...They may leave unharmed."

Kurama looked away for a minute and opened his mouth to agree when two arms suddenly grabbed his shoulders and shook him roughly, forcing him to look into the angry brown eyes of Yusuke.

"Don't. You. Dare." Kurama was shaking slightly within the detective's grip. "Don't you throw away Kuwabara's sacrifice by giving yourself up to the creep."

Kurama couldn't look at him; he couldn't look at any of them. He was the cause of everything. If his friends would just leave him here they would all be safe. He was the only one who had to die, but not one else was going to just let him choose that fate.

Akuzuki raised an eyebrow at them. "No? Well then..." the keep owner raised his hand and Touya and Jin, standing on either side of Yusuke, both cried out in surprise as they sunk into the keep, the stone flooring liquidizing once more until they sunk up to their waists.

"Wha' the hell?" Jin shouted out in surprise as Touya stared wide eyes down at the stone floor, trying to climb back out of the suddenly solidified granite. Jin tried to propel himself out with his wind but found it useless; the stone would not release him.

"What the hell is this?" Touya cried out as Yusuke grabbed his arm, trying to pull him out.

"No stop!" Kurama shouted out, grabbing one of Jin's arm as Hiei managed to grip the other. "Stop it, Akuzuki!"

Touya screamed and dug his fingernails into Yusuke's arm as the cement began tightening around his legs and abdomen. Pain lashed up his spine as he lost immediate feeling in his feet, his legs still sending fiery messages of pain up to his brain.

Every bone in his lower body strained against the force of the stone closing in on him and he froze his movements in hopes that it might lessen the pain. Touya tried to loosen up, to stop tensing his legs but another squeeze from the ground sent an echo of pain out his throat.

"Touya!" Jin screamed his lover's name, clawing at the stone. "You bastard! Le' him go!"

Tears were streaming down Kurama's face as he desperately tried to pull Jin away from the same fate that caught Kuwabara. "Akuzuki, stop, I'll do it!"

There was a deafening silence that followed after that desperate shout and all eyes turned to Kurama, who had released Jin's arm. Jade eyes looked up and met those of cold navy blue.

"Leave them alone."

"No!" Hiei shouted out, grabbing Kurama's shoulders and forcing him to face the smaller fire demon, which was the last thing he wanted to do. "I can't loose you! I refuse to let you stay here! Not with him!"

Kurama blinked back the crystal water that threatened to keep falling. He didn't want to stay either, but he would rather suffer a thousand of Akuzuki's torments than watch any more of his friends die.

Slowly, he took Hiei's hands in his own and held them close. "Hiei, my love...I can't watch any more people die when I am what he wants. Go back to Koenma, tell him what's happened." By now his hands were shaking around the fire demon's. Wavering red eyes were trying to remain cold and angry but failing miserably. "You can always save me another day."

Hiei was shaking his head when both Jin and Touya were released from their stone prisons, both falling down the second they were back on their abused and bruised legs. Yusuke caught Touya as Jin managed to levitate himself before hitting the ground.

"I won't let you," Hiei whispered as Akuzuki took a step forward and Kurama gave Hiei a gentle kiss on the lips. As the fox began to move away from him, almost in slow motion to the fire demon's eyes, something hit him deep inside. Something he knew had been there since he'd met the fox, but he'd never admitted to it before.

He didn't care who died, even if it was himself; he just had to keep Kurama safe.

"I won't let you!" he screamed out as fire engulfed his entire body. Jin yelped and managed to flip away in the air as fire tried to scorch everything within five feet of the fire demon.

Yusuke and Touya stumbled back from the immense heat wave, Genkai just blinking and shielding her eyes from the black and red flames.

Kurama spun at his fire demon's angry, abrupt voice and fire suddenly wrapped around him. His gasp was for the immediate thought of burning pain he would soon feel, but when he took a second look, he realized that the fire was everywhere around him but not touching him, enclosing him in a sphere of flames.

"I may not be able to hurt you because of your keep, Akzuki," Hiei's scorn was apparent as he spoke in painfully angry tones. Kurama began to move as the fire grew closer to his back, moving him towards the fire demon, or at least where he thought Hiei was, no longer having any visual but the rapidly shifting flames of black and red and orange.

Akuzuki growled and raised his hand, obviously about to shift the keep. Hiei suspected he would put a wall between the kistune ball of fire and the rest of them.

"Yusuke, Spirit Wave, NOW!" Genkai suddenly shouted out and the Dimwit only took a second of delay to figure out what she was talking about before he took the defensive stance of the Spirit Wave.

Light began to gather between his pulled back palms as he stared at Akuzuki, who had distracted himself and paused as fireballs began launching themselves from the sphere, flaming towards him only to be blocked in one way or another.

"Spirit Wave!" Yusuke screamed out as he sent the attack flying out of his hand, past Kurama and all of Akuzuki's defenses, through the upraised wall and straight into him and his guards.

Hiei released the fire, not caring to watch how Akuzuki dealt with the Spirit Wave, grabbing Kurama and running back into the keep. "Let's go!"

"Back into the keep!" Yusuke shouted out as he helped Touya run. Jin came beside him and grabbed his lover in his arms, hoisting him up as the wind demon flew down the hallways.

"Do you ever read the information given to you by Koenma?" Genkai asked in an annoyed voice as the angered shout of Akuzuki and his recovering men echoed down the golden hallways they ran down.

"He doesn't usually _give us_ any information!" Yusuke screamed back. Now this, I must protest to. I give plenty of information; Yusuke just never knew how to use it correctly.

But also, come on, I'm getting everything I need to know from oni! I even told Yusuke once that they were like the field mice of the Reikai! They're practically useless, though they can be quite endearing sometimes.

Sometimes.

"There's another exit at the back of the keep," Touya replied calmly as Hiei led the group, helping a somewhat dazed Kurama run along the turning, twisting, golden hallways.

As they moved further through the mountain, the lavish decorations became less fancy and the paintings and golden linings grew dim and unused, falling into slight disrepair. The carvings on the doors that were so intricate when the four were first show around these walls grew to few and disappeared entirely as the walls began to fall with chipped paint.

"Seems he only keeps up pretenses after all," Genkai mused as she glanced around, managing to keep her pace even.

"We need t-" Hiei's words were suddenly cut off by a blood-curdling scream followed by a panicked, desperate shout.

The hallway wall had come alive, a three-foot by thee foot cube slicing out of the wall like a file drawer. It had slammed into Touya, who was being carried by his lover. His entire lower half was pinned by the projection. From his hips down he was slammed between the extended rectangular prism and the wall, crushing every bone in his legs, as well as his pelvic bone and a portion of his lower spine.

Jin was staring at him in horror, holding onto him, arms wrapped around his chest and trying to pull him away from the wall and the extension that held him trapped. "No, no no! Touya? Touya, sta' with me!"

"Oh my god..." Kurama at this point had been up for more than thirty hours, locked away in this insane keep for fourteen hours of that, had been sexually assaulted on more than one occasion, sold in exchange for a jewel, crushed in the ground, forced to watch his friend die, told that each of his friends could go free if he was sacrificed, and had just watched another good friend be crushed between two walls.

Even he could not be ashamed of the horrified tears that streamed down his face and utter despair that finally gripped him to its full extent.

"T-touya..." Yusuke couldn't find the words needed so he took action instead and suddenly ran back to the ice demon, trying to pull the block back, but to no avail. Kurama summoned his whip and slashed at it, creating a three or four inch slash through the three-feet deep prism.

He continued slashing as Touya shook his head, blood pooling in his mouth and bubbling down his chin. His icy blue eyes were clouded over in pain and shock. Words caught in the blood gurgled into nothingness as he tried repeatedly to swallow, only to spit up more of his crimson life force.

"Don' speak," Jin whispered, trying to wipe the blood from the ice demon's mouth, his blue eyes filling with tears that he refused to let fall. "You're goin' to be alrigh', okay?"

Touya shook his head as he managed to swallow his blood and whisper hoarse words, his voice harsh against the panic in the room, "Go. Get out of here."

"No," Jin whispered, his voice breaking in its own right. "No no no no no no!"

Touya nodded, his eyelids beginning to droop as his body began to shut down from pain and knowledge that this was the end. Jin was still shaking his head furiously as the ice demon continued, his breath becoming labored.

"I'm not going anywhere...you know that." An icy cold hand traced down the soft skin of Jin's cheek as blue eyes shut tightly. The wind demon tilted his head into that touch, placing his hand over Touya's. "I love you...now go."

Jin shook his head, but it was slow and controlled this time, not the panicky movements of denial he had been committed to seconds before. He kept his lover's hand against his cheek as he opened his beautiful azure eyes and slowly replied, "I'm staying with you."

Touya's eyes widened but when he went to refuse the demand his blood began its course back down his chin, filling his mouth with the vile metallic taste. Jin turned to the other four staring at them in sympathetic shock.

"I'll stay with 'im. Go," Jin directed his order to them, giving a trademark smile that was tainted with the sorrow of his lover's plight. His clear eyes told them a lot; that he would not leave Touya to die alone, that he was okay with it, and that he was telling them to go as their friend.

Yusuke slowly nodded, grabbing Kurama's sleeve somewhat like a child and tugging on it, but the kitsune wouldn't move. The raven-haired detective tugged a little harder. "Come on, Kurama...we've gotta go."

The fox shook his head as tears streamed down his cheeks. "No...No! I won't let more people die for me!" He began moving towards the two when Hiei hit the back of his neck with his fist and picked him up as the fox began to collapse.

"Let's go." He turned to Jin and Touya even as the shouts of Akuzuki and his men could be heard in the halls, their footsteps following soon after. "Thank you...For everything."

"Jus' go!" Jin shouted out and Hiei nodded, turning and running with his lover in his arms. Yusuke and Genkai followed after, the former giving Jin one last thumbs up before running away from the two of them for the last time.

Jin turned back to his lover. Touya was breathing harshly as blood continued to bubble down his chin, the redhead lovingly wiping it away with his finger. Reaching down, Jin took the ice master's hand and placed a gentle kiss on the back of it.

"I'm sorry i' had to come to this," he whispered softly, brushing his lips against the icy skin of his lover. Touya smiled, spilling more blood.

"I love you..." he whispered in a hoarse, gurgled voice as Akuzuki walked down the hall, stopping behind Jin. The redhead didn't even turn to him as the keep master reached out his hand. The wall that had birthed Touya's death grew once more, forming a cylindrical pike, point sharper than any spear or sword.

"I love you, too," Jin replied in a thick voice as the spear shot across the room.

-o-o-o-o-

_Two more pieces of aged paper were tucked away within the folds of this journal. Like the other, bearing crinkles of years and splotches of sorrowed writing, these papers bore the names of the deceased and marked the lives that were taken that day, six hundred years ago. _

**File:** RJ50217

**Account:** Death Two

**Handles By:** Koenma, Jr. Lord of Reikai

**Name: **_Wind-Master Jin _

**Age:**

**Birth: **

**Death**: _September 27, 2005_

**Cause: **_Spear through skull_

--

**File:** RJ50217

**Account:** Death Two

**Handles By:** Koenma, Jr. Lord of Reikai

**Name: **_Ice-Master Touya _

**Age:**

**Birth: **

**Death**: _September 27, 2005_

**Cause: ** _Spear through chest / internal bleeding _

-o-o-o-o-

WOW! I finally finished. I really liked that ending. I really really liked that ending.

I'm a cold hearted bitch, aren't I?

I need help...anyone know a good asylum? Psychiatrist at least?

Alright, well I really hope it was worth the wait. I hate most of it, all of it, but the end. I love the end.

Okay, moving on!

**Author's Notes **

_…It's alright to cry, Yusuke…_In all honesty, this was put in to reverse the situation given to the two boys in "Embrace the Winter Snow." I find it ironic.

_...The expensive yukata..._ Yukata literally means "bathing clothes" and are commonly worn after a traditional Japanese bath, but are not limited to only being worn at that time. It is a summer garment cooler than a kimono (less heavy and breath easier)

_...He wore a golden haori..._the Haori is a hakama coat or top.

Thank you everyone for reading and I hope you would all be kind enough to review for me.


	5. Death Four

**Disclaimer**: So…I guess I still own nothing.

**Notes**: I have permanently decided that no one reads these anyways, so I might stop posting them…

Especially when I haven't anything to say for the chapter…

Something tells me that might be a smart idea.

**Note 1**: I am SO sorry for the time lapse – this story just wouldn't write itself! Hope it's alright, I'm not so sure I like it.

**Note 2**: Not a lot of Koenma in this one – it's getting harder to write him in between since the story is getting so serious. Sorry.

**Note 3**: We're back to normal chapter lengths (well, normal for me)

**Note 4**: I'm not liking Kurama in this story – but he seems to be getting better. Oh well, I went with where the muse had me take him, so I guess I'll deal with it. I hope it's acceptable.

**Relapse**:

So, since it's been SO long since I updated (I am so sorry!) you may want to either go re-read the last chapter or I can give a brief update.

The four tentai went in to trade a rare gem for Akuzuki's amulet, which has the ability to more or less destroy a world with something akin to an atomic bomb, but much bigger.

The tentai are found out and Kuwabara is killed trying to get the other three out. They are taken prisoner. Koenma sends in a backup team.

Genkai, Jin, and Touya arrive to release them, leaving Shishiwakamaru, Chuu, and Rinku outside as a Plan B should they need it. The three going in manage to get the tentai out of jail and run deep into the keep, but Touya and Jin are killed in trying to help them escape.

And that's where we left off.

I honestly am not sure about this chapter, and I really hope it's acceptable. This is one of my favorite stories so I really hope it turns out all right.

**-o-o-o-**

_**The Last One Left**_

_Chapter 4_

Death Four

**-o-o-o-**

Kurama didn't know where he was. He couldn't hear anything but the silent sobbing of a nearby someone, but he had no idea who that someone was. Or why they were crying.

He could not see anything but the black that surrounded him. He could not feel anything but the slight jarring of his motionless form, a rhythmic movement every other second.

But he did not know what moved him.

He could not sense anything about his world, his life, his purpose. He knew that he was there and that was it. There was nothing else for him to discern but the soft, supple cries of the anguished that had yet to cease.

He moved, but got nowhere.

The crying came no closer and the world around him altered none. But he could still here the crying. And he could feel the tears.

Tears. He had not felt tears. He had only heard the crying. But he could feel their gentle trace over his skin. Could feel they flowed from someone nearby.

He could feel, but he did not know where he felt.

The black still surrounded him, but now he could see the edges were blurry, water logged and shaking. He tilted his head and felt another tear upon his skin.

And heard another sob.

Wait…he could feel the tears, see the salty water, and hear the gentle sobs.

Kurama opened his eyes as it occurred to him that he was crying.

-o-o-o-

Hiei skidded to a halt as he felt the fox in his arms stir. The two in front of him paused to look back, eyes asking in haste why he would stop. The fire demon gently shifted his precious cargo, slung over his shoulder in a less than graceful move, but one that allowed him to run.

"Come on, we're almost to the back of the keep!" Yusuke shouted and Hiei glanced to him. They could hear the distant shouts of those that were following and the fire demon shouldered his lover once more and started running – comfort would have to wait.

They had already gotten themselves lost four times as the fortress continuously shifted on them, making them rats in a never ending maze. Hiei had long ago abandoned his bandana to the stone floor, using his Jagan to see through the walls and never ceasing stone.

But even his Jagan could not prepare him for when the fortress shifted.

Yusuke cursed and slammed his fist into the wall that had appeared directly in front of them, blocking their path yet again and forcing them to trace their steps back. "God damn it!" he screamed out as they took a different turn, avoiding the path they had come from. It had only taken one spirit gun blast to discover that those walls were still impenetrable.

"Come down, Dimwit," Genkai scolded as she led the small group. "Growing angry will only worsen our situation."

"Our situation already sucks, old hag," he replied through clenched teeth as they staggered through another tunnel, barely avoiding the wall that had tried to shut them out and closed the passage off behind them instead.

"Hiei?" the call was quiet and almost unheard by the fire demon and certainly by the two ahead.

"Rest, Fox," came the soft but stern reply. "We are getting out of here."

Kurama did not reply and opted to stay in perpetual silence. Three of his closest friends were dead, and he could have saved their lives. He should never have tried to run – he should have been brave and stayed.

Kuwabara wouldn't have died and Jin and Touya…

Kurama closed his eyes as the image of the ice demon's broken body flashed through his mind. Hiei felt his lover's muscles tense but said nothing as the fox made no move to leave his grip or aide in conversation.

Yusuke skidded to a halt as he slammed into a stone wall, his reflexes having not caught the movement in time. He swore loudly as he rubbed his now bruising nose. "I hate this place," he muttered in spite as he rubbed the injured appendage.

"We can't double back this time," Genkai muttered as the sound of Akuzuki's men closed in, echoing through the tunnels that stretched far beneath the mountain. "We'll have to break through it."

"That might take longer than we have!" Hiei hissed but Yusuke had already started punching the stone with ki charged fists. Genkai joined in and Hiei glanced behind them in pure annoyance.

How the hell had it gotten like this?

Growling, he set Kurama down against the wall, checking the fox before he moved over and began delivering as much youki as he could spare without running risk of dying in a battle – were one to happen soon.

Kurama said nothing and did not make any offer to move. His eyes were half lidded, his head aching and his neck sore from the punch his lover had dealt him.

Dealt him to keep him from going post-traumatic.

Not that it could truly be helped now. He had caused the death of three friends – people who were loved and needed.

How was he ever going to look Shizuru in the eye? How could he ever speak to Yukina without the knowledge that he did nothing to save her fiancé? Kurama glanced to the others as they slowly chipped away at the wall that blocked their path to freedom.

He hadn't done anything to save the three he'd lost, but he wouldn't lose anymore. He wouldn't stand by idly again.

Kurama had always been one willing to sacrifice himself, never fully believing he deserved to live in the first place. Perhaps it was because he cheated death- perhaps it was because he lied to his mother about his very existence.

Perhaps it was just the suicidal tendencies of a hormonal teenage boy who had too much stress to deal with.

But whatever the reason, Kurama had promised himself the night he decided to steel the Forlorn Hope – promised himself that he would sooner die than lose someone he loved.

He'd forgotten that promise, but he wouldn't fail it any longer.

The other three didn't notice that the fox pulled himself to his feet, slipped the amulet off of his neck and laid it on the stone floor. They didn't notice as he took off down the hall, his half lidded eyes only partially responsive and only lost to confusion, grief, and most likely the beginning of a concussion. They didn't notice that Kurama wasn't there as they demolished the wall.

They didn't notice – at least not immediately.

When the wall was finished, they noticed.

And Hiei burned down half of the hallway to the point of melting the stone.

-o-o-o-

Kurama halted his movements as he heard the footsteps of men draw close enough to echo eerily through the underground stone hallways. The lights of whatever source they carried bounced across the walls, creating dancing images of ten foot figures with nasty weapons.

The fox shivered as he put his hand over the growing bump on the back of his head. He stood tall and strong and proud – everything a kitsune should be and nothing that he had been.

Curses rang through his head, belittling his actions of the last two days. His friends had been lugging around nothing more than excess baggage. He could not contribute to anything but three deaths and the slowing down of the only three left to rescue.

But he could change that. He would make it clear to Akuzuki that there was nothing to be gained in chasing after Yusuke, Hiei, and Genkai. All he needed would be standing in front of him, prepared to finally give what could have saved his three teammates.

The booted footsteps grew closer and Kurama's thinking suddenly froze.

What the **Hell** was he doing? What words had he heard Hiei speak – no admonish upon Yusuke?

_Don't you __**dare**__ insult his life by saying his death was for nothing._

What was Kurama doing, if not saying Kuwabara died for nothing. And of Touya? He died trying to save them. It is an honorable death, to save ones friend.

Was that what Kurama was trying to do? Was he giving up his life as they had so that he could save his remaining friends?

No…no, he was being an asshole, not a hero.

What friend is he to prove the other's last wishes wasteful? Kurama shook his head and took a step backward, away from the clank of metal and the heavy thud of footfalls.

What was he doing?

He was so confused – He couldn't remember anymore.

Kurama's vision shifted, those horrendous shadows on the walls became two, tilting and spinning. Heat washed over him blearily and he stumbled, his stomach rejecting what little remained in it and emptying its contents on the stone floor.

This was all wrong. What an idiot.

His head hurt so badly.

He stumbled back blindly, away from those monstrous forms that ran down the halls towards him, away from the blaring noise of foot and weapon. Arms grabbed at him and he tried to cry out, to scream – to do anything but a hand clamped over his mouth tightly as others grabbed at his arms.

"Shut up, Kurama!" Yusuke hissed as he pulled the fox back into the shadows of an alcove built into the hallway. It was meager protection, but he had to get the kitsune back under control.

Hiei's eyes were blazing with anger as he marched right up to the detective and the now delirious, but calming fox. Kurama barely had a chance to lock eyes on him before one of those tiny hands had embedded themselves in his collar, yanking him to face the fire demon's fury and out of Yusuke's hands.

"What the hell do you think you're doing, Kurama?!" he seemed to scream, though the disoriented fox would not have been able to tell that he was merely whispering harshly. "If you think sacrificing yourself will stop the pain than think of those that you're leaving behind! You think we would just safely leave knowing you still remained!"

Kurama clenched his teeth shut as the fire demon shook him, desperate to recall the smooth and calm logic that the fox was so well known for. And while it still lay there, deep within the surface, the kitsune of the present was lost under the panic of his human half and the concussion of the other half.

Hiei suddenly pulled Kurama into him, crushing the human against his chest as he clung almost desperately to his lover. He whispered – a mix of menace and deep worry – "You would save none of us by staying. We would all die coming back to get you so please…just stay with us."

Kurama closed his dilated green eyes as they glossed over with the tears he felt he no longer deserved to shed. He was such an idiot. "Forgive me," he whispered against his lover's small, thin neck. "I see that now."

Yusuke stepped forward, shoving the amulet over the surprised Kurama's head. Once that had been righted, he grabbed the fox's hand and yanked, deciding that the pow-wow had to end lest they be caught. Akuzuki's men were now within visual range and even as they began sprinting down the hallways, one of the guards shouted their sighting.

"Fuck!" Yusuke swore vividly, adding on another ten words before he felt even the least bit satisfied with his mini-rant. He glanced behind him, still grasping the strengthening fox's hand. "We'll never outrun them now."

No one in the group missed the small, but strong whisper coming from the redhead. "I'm sorry."

"Don't worry about it, K'rama," Yusuke replied as he made a quick left turn before the keep could shift and block them once more. "Everyone's got a breaking point – it's amazing you haven't hit it sooner."

"Let's just focus on getting out of here," Hiei growled out as he pushed both Kurama and Yusuke flat against the side wall rather harshly. Several rather primitive weapons consisting of arrows and spears flew past them.

Yusuke looked down the hallway as Hiei took over guiding Kurama (who was by now insisting that his youko side was calming his human and therefore he was fine.) The two of them were moving quickly down the hallway.

"We're screwed," The dark haired detective muttered angrily and ran. He hadn't made it ten feet when he came to a skidding halt, nearly toppling over Genkai, who had suddenly stopped all movement.

"What is it, Grandma?" he growled out in annoyance as he tugged on her sleeve. "We don't have time for anymore chit-chat!"

Genkai, surprisingly, shoved him back and Yusuke's eyes widened as he skidded a good ten feet down the hallway from her harsh shove. "Go," she croaked out in her ancient but ever-wise and sharp tong. "Get yourself out of here, Dimwit."

By this time, Hiei had noticed and slid to a halt not twenty feet away from the old master. Kurama's eyes widened and he looked ready to come back, biting his lip at Genkai's sharp reprimand.

"Don't even, Fox-boy," she bit out but a small smile crept over her face – one of mischief like in the old days. "I'm old and I'm tired of running. I'm going out with a bang. Get him out of here, Pryo."

Hiei took that she was addressing him and gave a stiff nod, turning and yanking on Kurama's hand. The fox looked ready to argue but his lover gave him no choice, pulling yet again as he started to run down the hallway once more. Kurama had no option as he followed his lover, renewed tears streaming down his cheeks, but he said nothing and did not fight him.

It was Genkai's wish – he'd respect it this time.

Yusuke looked on in shock at his teacher. His voice was quiet as he whispered, "Genkai…"

"Oh don't go all soppy on me, you idiot," she muttered out, rolling her eyes. However, even the aged master could not hide the small smile that continued to lie on her face. "Pass on my teachings, and maybe I won't haunt you from my afterlife."

The dark-haired detective could only stare for a moment before he shook his head, a mischievous glint back in his own smile. "Heh," he muttered out in a small laugh. He looked to his teacher and watery brown depths met one another.

They understood everything that would ever need to be said.

"Don't die too easily, Grandma," he said quietly but with his ever present attitude. With that, he turned and sprinted down the hall as quickly as he could.

He had said his goodbye.

"Remember who you're talking to, Dimwit!" The sharp reply flowed down the hall and a slow, sorrowful smile spread across his lips as tears rolled down his cheeks.

She had said hers.

-o-o-o-o-

Hiei skidded to a halt as they met a stone wall – but this time they had no reason to fear. This one was true rock – they finally hit the mountain rather than the keep. In the center of the rough, misshapen rock was a square out-cutting, pitch black but with enough indication of a slope upwards.

"Cave-in opening," Kurama muttered quietly as Hiei stuck his head inside of the rough cutting. It was not very large – perhaps two feet by two feet. Small, but well enough for a body to fit through and it would due. It was their only hope of escape right now.

"Go first," Hiei began but stopped when Kurama met his eyes.

"I'm waiting for Yusuke, Hiei," he said softly, in a voice that clearly said he was speaking the truth: he would wait. "If he doesn't come, we will leave-"

"He'll come," Hiei interrupted with a curt nod even as they heard the quicker than human feet approaching. Yusuke slid to a halt beside them, tears pouring down his cheeks.

"What the hell are we waiting for?" he asked in a rushed voice, high in both anxiety and sorrow. "Let's get the fuck out of this place!"

Kurama nodded and ducked into the tunnel. He knew that Yusuke was trying to comfort him – afraid of what another loss might do. But he had done enough; he had caused enough pain and grief and he wasn't going to do it anymore.

It was Yusuke's time to mourn, not his.

Yusuke darted in after him, Hiei all but shoving him into that tiny opening where his shoulders did not want to go. He felt the fire demon crawl in after, being the smallest and easily moving in the tunnel where the others were slow.

"Good think Kuwabara ain't here," the raven-haired detective muttered. "He'd never fit in this thing."

Up ahead of him, he heard Kurama give a choked sob that sounded surprisingly like a laugh. Yusuke smiled slightly.

They were getting out of this.

"Kurama!"

The three froze in the rock tunnel at the angry, harsh call from Akuzuki. His voice was savage with rage but also held a malice then sent shivers through the tentai.

"Kurama!" he called again and Yusuke put a hand on the fox's calf, not able to reach anything else. "Come out of that rat's hole and face this like a man!"

"Go fuck off, dude!" Yusuke screamed back even as Hiei lay down on his back so he could look down the gentle slope towards that square of light. He put up a kekkai to keep any attacks away from them. In the narrow tunnel, any attack would hit them without chance of getting away.

They could hear the quiet mumbling of Akuzuki's men and a soft thud but nothing more. Hiei frowned, being able to discern the sounds the sharpest, and having heard the drawing of a sword.

Something in the pit of his stomach told him this was not a good thing.

"Don't worry," Kurama whispered quietly. "We're in the mountain – He can't control the rock around us, only his keep."

Yusuke nodded and nudged the fox. "Keep moving."

However, before Kurama could edge forwards once more, that deep voice cut them off again. "Kurama. Had you come out, she would have been spared!"

The fox's eyes widened at the pronoun and he looked back, seeing Yusuke staring at him with wide, dreading eyes.

But only Hiei saw one of Akuzuki's guards duck into the tunnel and throw something towards them. Even he shook in horror when Genkai's head hit his barrier. "Move!" he scream upwards. "Go, now!"

Yusuke looked back in time to see the remains of Genkai roll back down the gentle slope, leaving a trail of blood.

He screamed.

"Fuck!" Hiei swore as he felt the youki in his friend and teammate build up and snap, releasing the blue energy to tear through the hall. Hiei was slammed against his own barrier, which broke moments after and sent him tumbling down another few feet, dangerously close to the opening back into Feroc Keep.

Kurama tried to call out to Yusuke, to calm him as the rocks around them began to shake and tumble. A cave in was sure to come and he laid down on his back, inching down to Yusuke even as that crazed energy pushed him away.

The detective's eyes were wide beyond belief, circles under his eye showing in extreme in horror, grief and lost. Tears flowed from the unresponsive orbs, streaming down his cheeks as he sat there, screaming his anger and sorrow. His hands fisted in the stone were breaking it, pushing craters farthing into the mountain below.

"Yusuke!" Kurama screamed out as he managed to grab the detective and pulled him down against him, chest to chest as Yusuke's tears soaked his shirt. The raven-haired man suddenly went limp, his screams dying and turning into harsh, broken sobs that racked through his body and into Kurama's.

The fox held on as the mountain shook around them.

Hiei scrambled back up, encasing them in the strongest kekkai he could manage with the slowly draining ki that remained. He stumbled onto his stomach as he barely avoided a rock falling.

"It's going to cave in!" he screamed out as he added to the barrier. He could hear Akuzuki's men panicking below, the keep coming down with the mountain and the weakling guards fearing for their lives.

He could hear Akuzuki's furious snarls drained in the sudden thunder that rumbled the air and the ground alike.

And then he could hear nothing at all.

-o-o-o-

Kurama slowly opened his tightly shut eyes as the ground stopped moving beneath them. Yusuke was sobbing silently within his tight grip and he could feel those mourning tears soak his shirt, those angry fists clenching his clothes.

He glanced around at darkness and frowned, seeing nothing – the light was gone.

"Hiei?" he called out, his own voice sounded weak. He cleared his throat and tried again, sounding no better.

"I'm hear fox," came the slightly muffled reply as he sat on his calves, hunched over to avoid the ceiling, which was riddled with cracks and chipped stone. "The kekkai held. The tunnel's blocked off on the keep's side."

"Unfortunately," the fox responded in a whisper, fearful that a raised voice might shatter the shaky ground around them. "It would appear that this side is as well."

"Shit."

Kurama could only give a light smile at the understatement of Hiei's curse. Yusuke wiggled in his arms and he looked down at the brown eyes that looked up. They were still sorrowed and old, they were so very old.

"Let's get out of here," came the croak of his voice and he cleared it. "I ain't letting Genkai's death go to waste. Not this time."

Kurama nodded and shifted, letting Yusuke pull away. "You didn't waste her death last time, Yusuke. And you won't now. How do we get out?"

The detective shook his head. "I don't know, but we've got to work quickly. We might be out of danger right now, but if we don't move soon, Akuzuki will find the opening and then we'll be sitting ducks."

"I've never liked ducks. They have sharp teeth."

Kurama and Yusuke both froze to turn their heads and stare at Hiei, who was looking back with an expression of such seriousness that both boys suddenly burst into laughter.

They didn't know why they laughed. Maybe because Hiei had made a joke.

Or because they were so lost.

Perhaps because death seemed so close.

Whatever the reason, they laughed until the mountain rung with the joyous sound of the three joining in the one thing that had done them good in the last two days.

And then they began to dig.

-o-o-o-

Larry always liked his name.

He had given it to himself, feeling it fit him rather accurately and he was proud to have a name, since his mother had not given him or his fourteen siblings any such thing.

Larry the Lizard.

It had such a nice ring to it, a happy-go-lucky feel that made him quite the merry reptile. Wiggling around on all four legs, feeling his tail sweep out behind him, he made his way around his new home.

It had been formed by the Great Shake, which only recently had stopped and formed this most wonderful cave, large enough for at least four lizards to live happily!

Yes, here he would make his family.

Larry the lizard was just beginning to settle into his home, flicking out his tongue to test the rock and the scents when he heard the loudest rumbling, but not as loud as the Great Shake.

It was more subtle, like the sound of the spiders that would push rocks aside to dig their own homes.

Larry didn't like the spiders much, and hoped his home wasn't infested with them. Fighting a spider was hard work for a lizard and he didn't feel it was a good Welcome-Home party gift.

He turned towards the rock at the back of his new home as smaller tiny rocks began falling from his sturdy new place. Fear twitched at him and he took a defensive stance, backing up on his four legs and staring sharply, tongue flickering.

Don't let it be a spider.

Something green peaked out of the rock, slithering slightly.

Don't let it be a green spider!

It poked out further and Larry relaxed slightly to see it was long and slim, wiggly like. Sort of like a-

It was a snake!

Larry tried to run from the green thing.

The snake struck before he could run from his new home, which caved in with the sudden movement of the green snake.

-o-o-o-

Kurama frowned as he felt the energy of his plant spike. "I think the vine just ate something."

Yusuke looked at him with a raised eyebrow. "_Something_? Like what, a _rock_?"

Kurama rolled his eyes, ignoring his friends retort. "No, it was a living creature. The plant is carnivorous – somewhat like a ningen Fly Trap. It's a good sign, Yusuke," he said at the obvious negativity Yusuke was taking this as. "It means the vine broke the surface."

"Good, now make it dig!" Yusuke demanded, regretting it when Hiei elbowed him harshly in the thigh. "Ow!"

"Relax, Detective," Hiei commanded in his own right, leaning against the wall. His breathing was slightly labored and there was a light sheen of sweat on his skin that Yusuke was not used to seeing. "Kurama is doing the best he can."

"Hold on a little long, Hiei," the fox whispered from the front, his hands pressing against the cave in that blocked their way to the surface. Thin green vines were feeding from either of his hands, wrapped around his fingers like a mess of string and disappearing between the rocks and cracks, feeding up the fifty feet of fallen rock to the surface of the mountain side. "We'll get you out soon."

It had been mere minutes ago that Yusuke had quickly learned what his two friends had hidden from him: Hiei was slightly claustrophobic.

Up on the mountain side beneath the sinking sun, the vine finished its meal of Larry the Lizard and turned on its master's command. Four more of its kind joined it as they broke through the rock and they began working together to shift the heavy stones away from the tunnel that once existed.

More and more vines burst forth from the fallen rock and aided in moving them, throwing them aside to tumble down the mountain side or simply roll off out of the way. The plant worked fast under their master's direction as Kurama kept his eyes closed, envisioning the mountain side and the tunnel he wanted, forcing his vines to dig for them.

It was a half an hour before the tentai heard the rumble of shifting stones.

"You're doing it, Kurama!" Yusuke cried out as the stones in front of them began to shift and rumble. It was taking longer now, as the vines had to seek down the tunnel they were forming, grab rock and pull all the way back out all fifty feet. Some of the vines were using an assembly line to pass off the rocks but Kurama mostly let them do anything they wanted, just as long as they cleared out the rocks.

Ten more minutes and Kurama pushed against the stones in front of them. They tumbled down to reveal more than fifty vines filling the tunnel, some still clearing rock. Yusuke gave a course cheer and Hiei let out the first smile he'd had in a long time.

The kitsune summoned the vines back into the single seed, tucking it into his hair and started scrambling up the tunnel, his friends behind him.

-o-o-o-

By this time, Genkai's soul had arrived in the Reikai, pissed beyond all hell that we weren't doing more to get her students out.

But seriously, we already had the death of two great demons, one of the best tentai I've had, and a master three-worlds famous.

What else could we send in if they couldn't accomplish a rescue?

And I understand how brash and harsh that must sound – how cold you must think I am now. But my father controlled everything and there was little he was willing to do at that moment.

Truth be told, he and the other gods were holding council at that time.

If Akuzuki managed to survive and get his hands on the amulet, he could destroy one of the three surviving worlds. The gods were preparing to retreat into hiding so that they would not be killed should Akuzuki choose the Reikai.

The cowards.

They talked of running like everything was over. Perhaps if they had stayed – taken the initiative, trust in my tentai, sent in huge numbers to stop Akuzuki…

Perhaps all of Reikai would not have suffered.

Perhaps Hiei, Yusuke, and Kurama would still be alive.

Perhaps we could have saved them.

But we didn't and they're dead now.

-o-o-o-

_I fear my readers that here I came across another paper. We are up to four that I have found, and I fear with these last words that three more are soon in the coming. It is, as all have been, old and nearly gone, but still the life is written here. _

**File:** RJ50217

**Account:** Death Four

**Handles By:** Koenma, Jr. Lord of Reikai

**Name: **_Master Genkai _

**Age: **_52 years_

**Birth: **_June 14, 1953_

**Death**: _September 27, 2005_

**Cause: **_Decapitation_

-o-o-o-

For those of you wondering: Genkai took a shit load of them with her when she died. 8D

Hope you guys enjoyed this chapter, short as it was (I can't believe I'm calling fifteen pages SHORT! God damn long chapters. T.T)

Please review.


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